Murder Broods
by JeichanHaka
Summary: The Syndicate's Mainframe's hacked; Gin sends a new member to spy on Kogoro by befriending Ran; As Conan tries to track down the hacker, a deadly game of revenge starts...but which side is the true target?
1. Fortune Smiles Darkly

Disclaimer: I do not own this Anime/Manga, Gosho Aoyama does. This is a fan-derived work of fiction.

**Spoiler Warning:** Contains information and characters seen much later in the Manga series than the 26 volumes released in the US. If you haven't read/or watched online versions of the Japanese releases (as they are on Manga 62 or so) you might get confused in this fic. If you don't mind spoilers or you know what happens in the later Manga, feel free to read to your heart's content.

Title: **Murder Broods:**

Chapter One: Fortune Smiles Darkly

Crows circled the sky above the alley, the blue black space among the scattered stars peeking from between two adjacent buildings. Cigarette smoke swirled from the lit end as two cold eyes followed the grey billows before averting sharply to an approaching figure.

"This too was a dead end." Gin glared down the alley's palpable shadows, then at Vodka; his eyes narrowed, the ashes of his cigarette flared then faded in the darkness. The blond-brown hair folded over Gin's eyes, shadowing them as he crushed his cigarette; the crows caw echoed in the stillness and Gin's cigarette sizzled out.

"Aniki…."

"This fox is sneaky….a different approach is required…." Gin glared through his hair at Vodka and sneered, the glint in his eyes dangerous. He turned into the shadow, Vodka following, and sunk into the dark of the alley.

Above them a solitary crow flew across the violet tapestry of sky and vanished, its caw blending into the busy city noise.

0

Conan stood on one leg, kicking a soccer ball as he listened to Agasa tinkering in the next room; for three weeks only cases of adultery and lost pets filtered into the Mouri detective agency—none turned into anything bigger. He sighed, caught the soccer ball and sat on the couch, staring absently at the steaming cup of tea resting on the table.

The billows of steam disappeared as each floated up, he reached for the handle, his fingers an inch away when the clank of his cell-phone hitting the floor echoed and the soccer ball rolled off the couch.

Conan picked up the cell and flipped it open; he stared at the number-pad, Nanatsu no Ko echoing within his muffled thoughts—if he used the email to contact the syndicate's boss….

"Don't Kudo, it's Pandora's Box." Haibara stared at the phone, then at Conan as the detective flipped it close. She held papers under her arm, halfway to the basement stairs. "Don't be reckless."

"I know." Conan sighed and brought the cell to his right pocket, his eyes closed and shadowed by his bangs. Midway to his pocket it rang. One glance at the number display and he knew who it was. "Moshi-moshi."

"Hello Cool Kid, You doing well, ne?" Jodie greeted him.

"You're calling about some new information, right? About Bourbon….?"

"No, there's nothing new on that regard. But something's happening with the syndicate…our contact couldn't say much….but it seems the syndicate's mainframe was hacked."

"Hacked?" Conan's eyes widened then narrowed, his heart thumping in his chest. "Isn't that impossible?"

"Yes, I thought so too. Even the best FBI hackers couldn't penetrate beyond the primary defenses. I'd say it was a hoax, if not for the fact that three known hackers have disappeared since four days ago."

"This…this…." Conan gritted his teeth, his eyes hidden behind his glasses. "Whoever this hacker is, he's in danger…."

"The FBI is already on top of it, only we must do it discreetly…a new agent has been sent to ensure the syndicate doesn't suspect our involvement. Revelation of an information leak will endanger the contact."

Conan heard Jodie pause, and the slight ruffle of paper.

"We need you on the look out; the syndicate might trip up since the breach has put them on edge. Finding the hacker seems their first priority, which means that…."

"….they're worried the hacker got vital information, and since the hacker wasn't found yet, they weren't able to trace him…."

"This hacker could be what we need; someone with the skill to hack their mainframe, while avoiding detection and evading capture would make an essential key to taking down the syndicate."

"Are there any clues to the hacker's identity?"

"Yes, I'll send it once I hang up. Good luck Cool Kid."

The call ended, and moments later a text came in.

0

**--Hacker ID: +r09-mrdrwng**

**Deliberately left trail after 50 minute breach—**

Narrowed eyes behind midnight hair traced each letter of the text; the thin lips twisted to a frown as two strands of hair fell over the eyes. An impatient left hand pushed the strands behind the ear, hair sleeked with gel and the eerie shine of the flickering overhead streetlight.

The moon hid behind a cloud as black gloved fingers closed out the message; the cell snapped shut and placed in the right hand pocket; the wind stilled, silence awakening the hundred unnoticed sounds of night. The streetlight flickered out and in the shadow only the unevenly cropped midnight hair of the figure stood out in its silhouette.

Crows cawed noisily as a breeze blew the clouds and the moon glimmered with silver light over the buildings. The crows fluttered into the sky when the silence broke with a sharp click. The figure barely moved even under the sudden touch of cold steel pointed against its left temple.

"As cautious as ever," The figure shifted narrowed eyes toward the gun-wielder, coal black eyes that glistened surrounded by pallid skin. "….ne, Gin?"

Gin withdrew the Beretta, his expression unchanging as the silhouetted figure stepped into the clear moonlight, revealing her youthful face.

"It's time to start preparations for your assignment."

"In spite of the new development? It's first priority, ne, Gin?"

"Your mission's the same as planned. This recent development doesn't concern you."

"In other words, Sempai will fix everything while the little Kohai attends class." The unknown female chuckled and pushed an arrant strand of hair back behind her ear. "Perfect metaphor, ne? Fits with my assignment."

Gin's expression remained impassive until the female looked away, her lips pursed and eyes darkened by shadow.

"Don't mess this up. We need someone to keep an eye on that detective, see what he knows, what he's up to." Gin turned toward the shadow after a brief glance down and across the street.

Two blocks down the lights clicked off at the Mouri detective agency.

_**End Chapter: My first Detective Conan fanfic, I hope you enjoyed it. Please tell me what you think.**_


	2. Solitary Crow

**Murder Broods:**

**Chapter two: **Solitary Crow

The Next Day:

"Have you figured anything out from the hacker ID yet?" Haibara leaned closed to Conan as they walked, the day sky bright blue and cloudless; class long since ended.

"No." Conan withdrew his cell from his pocket, the ID burned into his brain after an all-nighter of combing it for clues -- but none of the list of known hackers Jodie sent in the text connected. He yawned, his gut growled but churned all appetite away. "I'm not certain this is an ID."

"Huh? But...." Haibara froze, her heart jumping in her chest, the feeling of dark, suffocating shadows closing in on her. One of _them_ was nearby. She grabbed Conan's arm, her eyes searching their surroundings until glaring straight ahead.

"Haibara...." Conan focused on her, the sudden fear and tight hold on his arm familiar signals that Haibara sensed a Syndicate member. He followed her glare, his muscles tensing, his heart thumping in his chest; he steadied his body for action, he braced himself, yet ----

"Conan!" Ran turned and greeted him, Sonoko beside her talking to an unknown female in a Teitan high school uniform. "Haibara-san's with you? That's nice." Ran smiled then turned back to Sonoko and the unknown female; the unnamed female ran her fingers through her jet black hair, the uneven strands glossy and straight. A strand fell into her eyes which she pulled back.

"What are you doing here, Ran-nechan?" Conan smiled, his heart pounding as he watched the unknown female, his gut clenched -- he glanced back a Haibara who hid behind him, blocking circulation to his arm with her grip. A member of the syndicate was near ---

_'It couldn't...don't tell me....'_

"We're giving Hakami-san here a tour of Tokyo, she just transferred from overseas." Sonoko grinned and pushed the unknown female forward. "Hakami-san, these two are Conan-kun and Haibara-san."

Hakami bowed in greeting, her eyes widening at the fright on Haibara's face, and narrowing at Conan's glare. the greenish black tint glinting from her eyes returned the stare; her glower vanished with a sudden smile as she turned back to Sonoko and Ran.

"Where to first? Ran-san, Sonoko-san?"

"How 'bout Shibuya? That's where all the best stores are. Or Toto tower?"

"Is it possible to see the whole city from Toto tower? Let's go there -- I want to see how much there is to explore." Hakami grinned as Sonoko nodded and led her and Ran toward the tower.

Conan watched the group walk away, his teeth clenched -- he started to follow them, but Haibara ran in the other direction. He chased after her; catching up he pulled her onto an empty sidestreet, his eyes and ears keen to anything unusual.

"Let me go! You know what this means, don't you? They know...they...." Haibara tried to pull away from Conan, her heart thumping loudly in her chest and ears; the boy detective held Haibara's arm until she settled enough not to run.

"Hakami is one of them then. You're sure?"

"Yes. The scent they give off -- I sensed it all over her. And her eyes -- her glare...." Haibara trembled, but breathed deeply pressed against a building wall. "I have to leave, I can't put you in danger, they...."

"I don't think Hakami was sent to find you." Conan's shadowed eyes glared at the cement sidewalk; his fists clenched and glistening with sweat. "They'd have gone straight for you if anyone other than Vermouth know who you were."

"Then why...."

"Hakami befriended Ran...either the syndicate's after me or her father...." The stale wind breezed coldly by, bringing silence until a vehicle drove by and disappeared around the corner. "Most likely they're after Mouri-ojisan."

"Kudo...."

"I need to go back to the agency -- even if it is a trap. This new member might be around just to spy on ojisan --- either way I need to check on him. While you...go to Agasa's, tell him what's happened, but don't do anything rash. I'll get in contact with Jodie, if I can."

0

Night descended, the sudden darkness of the starless sky gleaming black as a crow's wing; above the streetlights a solitary crow flew -- glided to a windowsill.

The window opened and the winged creature hopped into the room then flew to a stand holding one dish of water and one dish of dead insects. It ate, a ring blinking around its leg; the glow of a computer screen highlighted its black feathers.

"Fortunato, Fortunato." The roller-chair in front of the CPU turned, and the shadowed face surrounded by blonde hair cropped short peered at the crow, crooning that name. The figure's finger stroked the crow's beak; the glow for the computer flashed, the pale face unshadowed up to the eyes. The slender face of a female, lips thin in a smile at the crow. "My dear Fortunato, where would you go without me? My lovely Fortunato...." The blonde turned back to the screen, her chuckle roused the bird which flapped his wings then settled. "Now...seems Troy hasn't found the horse yet....heh."

She turned back to the crow, and stroke his beak again; smirking she stood, picked papers from her printer, then left the room. The TV flashed the news headlines, the mysterious disappearances; The blonde kept the volume muted until the image of a newly constructed building showed.

"...._fully computerized structure opens to the public next week. With an already high tenant list...."_

The blonde listened to the announcer until the next topic -- with a laugh and grin she switched off the TV.

"Interesting...such a bold move...." She glanced at the paper in her hand, an invite to a special convention, posted to a blog frequented by hackers. The time next week at the grand opening of the structure on the news. "What game will those crows play, hm? Fortunato?"

The bird flew out the window, the breeze hiding the moon behind clouds and rustling the trees. It glided and the blonde watched in shadow.


	3. The Hacker

_**Murder Broods:**_

_**Chapter 3: The Hacker (Part One)**_

Conan sat on the couch his head pounding, heart thumping; he barely paid attention to the television -- news of missing persons, murders, an explosion caused by a gas leak buzzed in the background. Nothing happened yesterday -- Ran came home safe bidding Hakami and Sonoko goodbye a half hour before.

He glanced at the clock 8 AM, he'd woke three hours ago, his dreams nudging him awake; nightmares that faded as he woke though their aftermath kept his heart pounding. Unable to go back to sleep he tried to figure out more to the hacker ID -- but his gut pushed all his deductions away.

"This…this is a code…a message from the hacker, but why…who is it to?" He picked up a pencil and pad, the ID written out glared at him from the white sheet. "The second half m r d r w n g is interesting, using English letters but no vowels. And if I add them…." He bit his lip and wrote the ID's letters adding in the vowels, the most glaring combination wrenching his gut. "'mrdr' becomes 'murder' and 'wng' becomes 'wing'…."

He rubbed his forehead and studied the new message: +r09-murderwing, the 'murder' rung dire in his head, but what it meant in the message other than someone being killed, he couldn't pinpoint. It had to do with the word 'wing', but how…what would connect those two words?

Conan started at the sudden pulse in his head, a cold coming upon him -- he glanced at the television screen, the news highlighting the recent gas leak explosion.

"…_.a recent development suggesting yesterday evening's explosion at the small house outside the city wasn't an accident has police digging deeper into the matter…."_

Conan's cell rang, drawing him away from the TV, his mind pulsing with suspicions -- seeing Jodie's number on his cell solidified those suspicions.

The FBI agent spoke briefly, then text him after hanging up.

_Tr0DWNFLL||CM3NXT9r0_

_Found written out at recent gas explosion_

_Seems connected to hacker's ID._

_Don't call back. Dangerous._

Conan closed out the message, his pulse racing as he turned back to the news -- no injuries or fatalities resulted from the explosion except the yard and cellar appeared bomb-struck; no one lived in the house since five years ago when a recluse retired there for a few months after the structure had been rebuilt to fix damage from fire.

Conan listened to the information the newscaster revealed, muting the volume after the topic switched his attention focused on Jodie's text and the new message left at the crime scene. He had no doubt the same individual left both messages, but the explosion deepened his resolve to catch the hacker -- it seemed too consequential that the gas leak happened at the house with the second message; it had to be deliberate. That made the hacker more dangerous -- and the word 'murder' encoded in the first message hinted at the extreme Conan hoped to prevent.

He inscribed the second message on the same sheet as the first and filled in under the code the words created after adding the vowels:

Tr0DOWNFALL||COM3NEXT9r0

"These are definitely messages, but to who? The first was after the Syndicate's mainframe was hacked, and the second was after that explosion….is this someone on a vendetta? Or someone taunting from the shadows, challenging the Syndicate?" He rustled his hair, his headache worse from trying to deduce the culprit's intentions. "Whoever he is, this person wants attention…."

0

In the dark room lit to grey by the slivers of light slipping pass the blinds, Vermouth stood beside a desk, her eyes reading the message on her cell phone. Across the room a small muted TV flashed with the news headlines; Vermouth flipped her cell closed, her eyes flitting to the figure in shadow beside the window.

"Quite a bold move, wouldn't you say, Gin?"

"Too bold." Gin left the window, his eyes glaring at the television screen; the intensity glinting in his eyes brief yet palpable when the image of the house flashed on the screen. His lips twitched before he hardened his expression and faced Vermouth. "This fox will regret his challenge. I'll see to it personally."

"What about spying on the detective? Going to leave that to the newbie Absinthe?"

"That's what she was brought in for." Gin glared at the television once more before switching if off; the room silent and heavily shadowed despite the light creeping pass the blinds. "Nothing more."

0

"Really Conan, you didn't have to follow me." Ran sighed, the afternoon sun bearing down on the city as she walked toward an apartment building.

"But you're visiting your new friend, I want to meet her again." Conan gave a wide, childish smile until Ran looked away with another sigh. '_It's the only way I can keep an eye on Hakami…to find out if she's really a member of the Syndicate.' _His expression darkened.

"I'm helping her catch up on her school-work -- she transferred in late."

"Oh." Conan followed Ran into the apartment building, the address written down on the sheet of paper Ran held. '_This might be a trap…they could be waiting to kidnap Ran or something worse….'_

"Here it is." Ran stopped in front of the door numbered 201, glanced at the paper before putting it away and ringing the doorbell. Thirty seconds later the door opened, Hakami glanced at Ran and Conan, her hair gelled back out of her face, and motioned them inside.

"I'm so glad you showed up." Hakami turned to Ran after shutting the door. "And you brought your friend…Conan-kun, right?"

"I hope you don't mind -- Conan insisted on coming to see you."

"Not at all, come sit at the table, I bought some snacks to eat while we study." Hakami motioned to the table, bags of chips and cookies opened in the center.

"Thank you."

0

Ten minutes passed before Conan left Ran's side; with no immediate danger present he explored the apartment while Ran and Hakami studied.

'_Haibara sensed a Syndicate member when we first met Hakami -- I need to find proof of it, maybe somewhere in this apartment….'_ Conan searched around the sparse apartment, few things had been unpacked, leaving the bedroom near empty, but only two boxes remained: one filled with books, the other with clothes. _'It seems Hakami hasn't settled in much…with such few things it doesn't seem she expects to stay here long….' _He glared behind him through the bedroom door, the position of the doors allowing him view of Ran and Hakami.

'_What is she planning?'_

Conan turned back to the boxes, the one of books catching his eye; he sifted through the top books, glancing at the titles -- all English -- his headache returning. He dropped the top books onto the floor next to the box before his eyes alighted on a certain book, one he grabbed before someone stepped behind him.

"Conan! What are you doing?" Ran glared down at him, hands on her hips. "It's rude to go searching through other people's things. If you can't behave you can go home."

"But Ran-ne-chan, Hakami-san has many good books --look." He held out the last book he grabbed: a collection of Sherlock Holmes stories by Conan Doyle.

"Sherlock Holmes…? I know you like detective stories, but seriously Conan, it's impolite to take things without asking…." She sighed.

"Oh, I don't mind." Hakami smiled beside them, then knelt by the box. "We should take a break anyway, Ran-san."

"But what about studying? Plus Conan should apologize…." Ran stared down at Conan, who quickly turned to Hakami to apologize; his brief 'I'm sorry" cut off by Hakami.

"It's all right, I'm a pretty curious person myself. But I'm amazed you can read English, Conan-kun." Hakami paused, picking up the books around the box before glancing back at Conan. "Are you some sort of prodigy perhaps?"

"I can read a little English…." Conan laughed nervously. '_Great job, Shinichi, raise more suspicion about your intelligence while one of them is in the same room.'_

"Conan just loves detective stories, he probably just recognized the English words 'Sherlock Holmes.'" Ran explained, taking the book from Conan. "We should clean up and get back to studying, while Conan goes back home."

"All right, if that's what you prefer --"

The scream splitting through the air cut off Hakami's sentence; she, Ran and Conan reacting in seconds -- Conan rushed out into the hall, three apartments down he saw the open door streaming out light into the hallway. Ran caught up to him moments after he found the body, Hakami appeared seconds later, her hand reaching into her pants pocket.

"Ran, call the police." Conan shouted at Ran who appeared ready to scream herself; she nodded and turned, but Hakami took out her cell instead.

"I'll call." She quickly dialed the emergency number, informing the police as Conan watched her; he stared at her, intrigued that she made no suspicious move.

'_This must not be connected to the Syndicate -- unless they got rid of the evidence already.' _His blood pumping, Conan glanced around the room, held back from thoroughly investigating by Ran.

0

Gin glared at the apartment complex across the street through the rearview mirror of his Porsche, the shade as well as the placement of the building and parking-lot concealing his Porsche from view. He cursed as the police cars showed in front of the apartment complex, his cell-phone clenched tightly in his hand. 'If this is the hacker's doing….'

Gin's glare intensified, he squeezed the steering wheel with his left hand, the brim of his hat shadowing his eyes. The ring-tone of his cell-phone broke through the air, and he flipped open the phone to read the text message:

_- No connection to other incidents yet_

_Will stay on alert_

_--Absinthe _-

"Heh….you better Absinthe, you need to spy on that detective." Gin seethed, his glare back on the apartment complex; he narrowed his eyes at his surroundings, the glint as a crow flew and landed on the tree in front of his Porsche raising a red flag. He focused on the bird, the glint coming from its leg. "What…."

Eyes widening, Gin rushed out of the Porsche, now able to see the red glow of the tracker on the crow's leg; he recalled seeing a crow fly over him and Vodka a few days back in the alley, and the crows that gathered when he met with Absinthe to give the newbie her assignment.

"That crafty bastard…."

The crow flew into the shade under the tree, the tracker and mini-microphone visible to Gin as he stalked the bird; his left hand grasping the Beretta tightly in his pocket.

0

Hakami leaned against the doorway as the police and Inspector Megure wrapped up the case, the culprit having been found fallen down the fire-escape stairs. That had been the scream they heard. She glanced at Conan standing beside Ran as the police led the culprit out, then glanced furtively at the corner of the room where a mirror laid against the wall.

Conan caught Hakami's glances, his suspicions aroused when he saw that the mirror reflected the TV media system from the room across the hall.

'_Why is she looking there? If she needed the time she could check her cell-phone, or look at the wall clock….' _Conan peeked at the room across the hall from the doorway. _'Before Inspector Megure got here she glanced into that room, but since then she avoided it….'_

Conan clenched his teeth, his eyes narrowed as he tried to figure out how to look into that room but avoid Hakami's attention.

"Hakami-san, where are you going?" Ran's voice broke through Conan's concentration, and he glanced up to see Hakami stepping out of the apartment.

"I just need some fresh air….this isn't something I'm used to…."

Conan narrowed his eyes and glanced at the room across the hall, before following Hakami; he sensed her urgency and felt no surprise when she took out her cell-phone.

'_She found something important….something she needs to tell her partners about, but what….' _Conan's eyes flew open, the sudden thought wrenching his stomach. _'No, it couldn't….' _He rushed into the room reflected in the mirror, his eyes searching over everything in the media-center.

He found it. Carved on the hard-plastic of the VCR the code: f0rTNT0.

"This is…."

The sudden bang of an explosion filled air, and Conan rushed out to Ran, his fists clenched as he saw the smoke rising from across the street. The cause hidden by the building and trees.

'_Damn! Across the street….and….' _Conan glared back at the room with the VCR, then ran to Inspector Megure.

0

"Damn it, that bastard will pay." Gin roared, his eyes glowing dangerously; blood trickled from the wound on his right arm, the flow staunched by his left hand clenched tightly around it.

"Lucky you weren't in your Porsche during that explosion, Gin." Vermouth averted her eyes when Gin glared at her daring her to say another word. She drove a safe distance from the scene of the explosion and then turned onto an empty side-street. "What about the newbie?"

"According to the last message Absinthe sent before you picked me up, the police found explosives planted in the apartment complex she's in. A total of three bombs in three different apartments."

"That means the hacker knew she'd be staying in that complex, as well as knowing where we'd watch from." Vermouth narrowed her eyes and stared ahead as she drove on.

"The bastard could have gotten the apartment information from hacking the system before…assuming the culprit was only a hacker at that time, only Absinthe's room number was changed." Gin glared ahead as Vermouth continued driving, his expression seething. "Today she was to be moved…but that clever bastard…."

"How did he know where you were though? Your Porsche was inspected beforehand and no tracers turned up, nor explosives, right?"

"Heh, he used the crows in this city. Before the explosion I saw a crow wearing a tracer around its leg, along with this." Gin held out the mini-microphone so Vermouth could see, her eyes widening at the sight.

"That….damn."

"That bastard is playing games with us. I won't stop until I hunt him down and kill him."

**A/N: End Chapter**

_Absinthe = Hakami's codename in the Syndicate._


	4. Fortune Brews

**Murder Broods:**

**Chapter 4: Fortune Brews**

The light shining through the windows, Conan paced the floor at Agasa's house; he'd text Jodie after the explosives were dismantled, informing her about the last message: f0rTNT0 that had been carved on each of the bombs in the apartment complex. He paced waiting for Jodie's answer while the TV News channel played in the background.

He glanced at the TV coverage of the case, then at his cell; his attention distracted by his thoughts he almost missed the newscaster reveal new information about the bomb that detonated before the other three explosives were discovered.

'….seems a smaller bomb ignited the gas-tank of a parked vehicle….a Porsche….'

Haibara walked in the room as Conan turned to the TV; she gasped at the screen and listened to the newscaster as Conan increased the volume.

"Kudo…it couldn't be…." Conan shushed Haibara until the newscaster moved to info on the other explosives -- leaving out the code found on each bomb.

"…I'm sure it is….that Porsche was Gin's…."

"But why? How could this….the syndicate's too thorough to be caught off guard…Gin especially…."

"If that explosive was like the other three planted in that apartment complex, it was a small detonator planted near something flammable. Each apartment targeted had a large gas pipe inside the walls and the explosive was planted near them -- close enough to ignite the gas if they were detonated."

"Then the culprit used the Porsche's gas tank like he used the gas pipes….but…even that wouldn't guarantee…."

"The culprit used another trick to guarantee it, to make sure his target was in place…." Conan narrowed his eyes and clenched his fist. "That was too dangerous….if those other bombs exploded….that apartment complex would've been demolished and everyone inside….this…..This hacker's vendetta will…."

"….So this…." Haibara glanced back at the TV, now on mute. "This is a challenge to the Syndicate….if it could succeed it might be worth it….but the Syndicate, especially Gin, will see this hacker dead."

Conan glared at Haibara. "It doesn't matter if the hacker could succeed, he crossed the line planting those bombs…endangering innocent people in his vendetta."

The doorbell rang before Haibara could reply; she returned to the basement before Agasa answered the door, saying that if it was Ayumi, Mitsuhiko, and Genta to tell them she wasn't feeling well.

"You shouldn't shut yourself in because of Hakami…." Conan sighed as Haibara closed the basement door and locked it, effectively ignoring him.

"Oh, Cool Kid!" Jodie's voice traveled from the entrance, and Conan whipped around his surprise increased by the stranger entering with her. "I received your message. Things have gotten serious."

"What are you doing here? If a member of the Syndicate sees you…."

"It's no problem, the Syndicate pulled all of it's members in this city away from their assignments to focus on the hacker/bomber. Kir's informed me of the uproar this recent incident caused; plus the ingenious way the hacker tracked the Syndicate members." Jodie stood in front of the muted TV, motioning the stranger with her to follow into the living room.

" 'Tracked'? Gin would've seen through any tracking method…."

"He did see through it…the only reason he survived that explosion. According to Kir's information, Gin spotted a crow flying around with a tracker and microphone around it's leg."

"What? A crow? The hacker used a crow?" Conan's eyes widened as he absorbed this information; he shook his head in disbelief, but then half-grinned at the idea.

"The hacker used a few crows in this ingenious method, but now that Gin knows it's useless." Jodie sat on the couch with the table in front and placed an envelope on the top. "I didn't come just for that, though. This is Troy, a retired CIA agent who's returned to the field recently." She introduced the stranger, who bowed in greeting to Conan.

His short black hair streaked with grey, Troy sat as well and took the envelope on the table, spreading its contents over the wooden top.

"These are photos from a series of bombings that started around two years ago in the States, lasting about a year. The code 'f0rTNT0' was found on or near all of the explosives, something undisclosed to the public."

"These…." Conan's eyes widened at each photograph he saw, the similarities between them and the recent case pushing doubt of a connection away. "This is the same code and the same handwriting. These cases…."

"More than the bombing cases are connected…I heard from Jodie that other codes were left by the hacker and that she gave them to you to decode." Troy addressed Conan and waited for the young detective to finish studying the photos before continuing.

Conan noticed the gold ring on the ring finger of the man's right hand when Troy fiddled with his ear. Troy brought his left hand to view in answer -- the ring finger of that hand had been severed in half.

"An accident ten years ago made me unable to wear a ring on my left ring finger. Now, what have you learned from the previous codes?"

"Well, the first code is: +r09-mrdrwng or +r09-murderwing after adding vowels to make English words out of the letters. While the second code is Tr0DWNFLL||CM3NXT9r0, which becomes Tr0DOWNFALL||COM3NEXT9r0.…"

"You haven't cracked it completely yet, I see….these codes and the one on the bombs are the same." Troy leaned forward and wrote all three codes on a sheet of paper; writing each carefully and exact. "f0rTNT0...the most obvious message in this one is the TNT to mean explosives….next would be the f0r which looks like the word 'for' or 'four'…since in each incident in the States four bombs were planted, it's clear this short code reveals how many bombs there were total….I worked on the previous cases in the states so I know this code."

"That means…." Conan took the paper, editing the first two codes further. "The hacker used zeros to represent some of the o's in the code. Using this the first code becomes +ro9-murderwing, and the second becomes TroDOWNFALL||COM3NEXT9ro." Conan smirked at the newly edited codes, admiring the complexity put into them. "Those zeros mean something as numbers in the code as well -- otherwise all the o's in the second code would be zeros."

"That's true….the other numbers probably represent letters as well in these codes." Jodie muttered as she followed the editing. "And the only numbers used in the three codes are 0, 3, and 9."

"There's another number hiding in the first code: 6" Conan grinned while Jodie and Troy gazed lost at the first code. "It's highly likely that the hacker knows Japanese as well as English….look at the first part….+ro9...9 can be pronounced 'ku' in Japanese. Put 'ro' in front and you get 'roku' or 6 in Japanese."

"You're right, Cool Kid. Then if this applies to the second code 9ro would become Kuro…."

"Yes, the perfect connection to the first code's 'murderwing' part -- 'murder' in English can refer to a flock of crows, right? Your mention of the hacker using crows reminded me of that. The hacker used the word 'wing' to emphasize that meaning." Conan paused, writing this down with an intrigued, excited expression. "Kuro means black in Japanese, as well as sounding like 'crow' to someone who speaks English if pronounced a certain way."

Jodie and Troy watched Conan rewriting the codes - Jodie impressed while Troy remained expressionless and massaged his left ring-finger where it had been severed. He stopped and put his hand in his pocket when Conan turned to him; he saw the glint in the young detective's eye.

"What is it?"

"Your name Troy is spelled _T, R, O, Y, _correct?" Conan smirked when Troy drew back, though a split-second later the man simply replied yes, not flinching when Conan pushed the paper into their clear view:

_+r09-mrdrwng = +roku-murderwing_

_Tr0DWNFLL||CM3NXT9r0 = Tro DOWNFALL||COMENEXT kuro_

_F0rTNT0 = forTNTo_

"Your name is in the second code: _T r o, _the letter _y _is left out since it can be a vowel in English. The hacker knows who you are by name…but you already know that, don't you? You drew back when I asked how to spell your name, so you knew why I asked."

Jodie looked from Conan to Troy, her eyes widening as she read over the codes again.

"Troy, do you know who the culprit…?"

"No, I headed the investigation of the cases in the States; this hacker/bomber would know me from that. I see your point though, the culprit may very well be someone who knows of me as more than an investigator - or is perhaps someone who wants to challenge me." Troy's matter-of-fact tone rolled the words off his tongue easily, his composure unbroken even as Conan eyed him suspiciously.

'_There's something more to this guy….My gut tells me he knows the culprit…and if he does….'_

"Can you figure out anything else, Cool Kid? Besides the fact the culprit's targeting the Syndicate and that he knows Troy here."

"Yes…."

0

The sun blazed down through the window on Gin, his coat and shirt off while a Syndicate doctor bandaged his right arm. The explosion had torn a chunk of flesh from his upper arm as well as burned the side of his abdomen. The burn wasn't much, just reddened skin that stung, a few tiny blisters forming; the wound on his arm proved worse, needing stitches and a tight bandage to hold the wound together.

"I'll kill that bastard." He growled, pulling on his shirt and coat after the doctor finished; without another word he left the room, barely registering the pain from his wounds.

"You're really something, Gin." Vermouth approached him as he stalked down the hall, he didn't even glance at her. "No one could tell you're injured by how you're walking. Your anger is apparent though."

"Shut up, Vermouth." Gin turned to her, his icy glare silencing her for a moment.

" A few minutes ago Absinthe reported in a code that was found on the bombs." Vermouth handed Gin her cell-phone with the text open. The code f0rTNT0 glared at Gin from the lighted screen.

"…Fortunato…." Gin muttered, his eyes transfixed on the screen widened and then narrowed a fraction. His left hand tightened around the cell-phone, his glare fixed on the text until Vermouth moved closer. He clapped the cell-phone shut and glared at the wall behind Vermouth, not focused on it or her.

"Gin? What is it? What…."

"It's been ten years…yet someone wants to…heh." Gin gave Vermouth back her cell-phone, ignoring her questions as he closed his eyes in thought. They snapped back open. "Those other codes…." He grabbed the notepad from his inner pocket, the first two codes written down on it along with his attempts to decode them. His eyes lingered over the beginning of the second code - the _T r o_; he ground his teeth together, his lips pursed.

"Gin, what have you figured out? Do you know who…."

"There's something I need to check out, Vermouth. While I do that, find out everything you can about a CIA agent named Troy Craig." Gin hurried down the hall before Vermouth could respond, her words dying in her throat as she watched him leave.

**A/N:** **End Chapter. I got inspiration to write more to this so soon from finding and watching the preview for the 13th movie The Raven Chaser that comes out in Japan in April of 2009; I found it on youtube right after I uploaded chapter 3 and was out of ideas to write more chapters; but watching Gin in that clip just fired me up to write more. Gin's my absolute favorite character in Detective Conan, and is in fact the only character I actually like in the series....not surprising considering that in every manga/anime I enjoy I love the antagonists better; especially if they are males with long hair, either black or blond to silver hair.**

**Anyone know any good Detective Conan fanfics with Gin in them? They might inspire me....**


	5. Not With Impunity

**A/N:** In regards to Movie 13 theory: interesting to note is that Kaito Kid shows up in movies 3 and 8 so far, which subtracted equals 5, the movie number that included the Black Organization. Numbers 8 and 5 added together equals 13 - the 13th movie has the Black Organization, and if the numbers do connect them, will probably have Kaito Kid as well.

**Murder Broods:**

**Chapter 5: Not With Impunity**

Hakami stared at the hotel room ceiling, the apartment complex had been evacuated by the police until they thoroughly searched the structure; she chuckled at nothing in particular and stretched her arms while lying down. Her cell-phone on the nightstand vibrated, its glow illuminating the unlighted room; the blinds drawn tight over the windows. Hakami sighed.

The text message on the phone told her to stay in the room until given further instructions; the spying mission on hold.

"This is so boring…." She sat up, swinging her legs over the left side of the bed; as she leaned forward to stretch, a pocket-photo album fell from her coat's inner pocket.

Charred at a corner and chewed on another, the brown leather binding bore the name 'Toni' carved in by hand, the letters wide and free --childlike. Holding it in her hand, she flipped it open, most of the sleeves empty. Her fingers paused on a sleeve holding a double-edged razorblade, and traced the keen metal through the plastic.

"Never been used…yet longing to…slit a throat perhaps." Her lips curled into a cruel smile, before twisting away, her hand massaging her temple at the zing of pain. She flipped to another sleeve while her hand shadowed her eyes.

The photo of someone with pale hair pulled behind shoulders, with the rest dulled and worn by age -- the brownness of the edges suggesting fire damage, Hakami stared at the photograph before dropping the pocket album and clutching her head.

0

His feet falling silent on the dust-covered floor, Gin narrowed his eyes observing his surroundings carefully. The gas leak explosion had torn the yard outside apart and rendered the cellar impassable; yet the ground floor and above held not a scratch of recent damage. Only the evidence of the fire ten years back peeked from the scorched walls and the warped doorframes -- Gin shook his head, his cold eyes unblinking as he held out his Beretta.

"Ten years….all that time yet now is when…." The whistling of the wind through the hall drew his attention toward the far door, the white painted frame dulled and chipped with age. Gin stared at the doorway, his body still, Beretta aimed out in front -- his eyes hidden in shadow; he took a hoarse breath and shook himself away from the spot.

"Ten years….to think I'll be back here. Back…." He pressed his lips firmly together and closed his eyes, dust swirled up from another breath of wind through the hall. "The window's open….hm…." He opened his eyes and stepped by a small table; the glint of glass caught his attention -- there a dusty framed picture lay flat on the table.

He stowed the Beretta in his pocket and picked up the photo, wiping the dust from the glass; three people stood in the photo -- an unidentified dark-haired woman holding hands with a young, fair haired child, and a tall man with short black hair gelled over to the side.

"Troy Craig. _Nemo me impune lacessit_. It's time to pay what you owe."

0

"What do you mean you can't rendezvous? It's essential that we stick to the plan…." Troy breathed angrily into his cell-phone, glancing behind him twice before stepping into an empty room. "So far no one suspects, but if there's any mistakes…."

He locked the door behind him, keeping away from the windows until he pulled down the blinds.

"She's still talking with that kid-detective. He seems to sense I'm withholding information, but I can deal with that. You just get to the rendezvous point on time."

He flipped the phone shut, his feet carrying him to a locked crate in the corner; a large pipe ran from floor to ceiling behind it. Pocketing that phone, he fished out a key from his jacket pocket, and another cell-phone from his trouser pocket.

He opened the crate, revealing its contents -- the number display of the bomb blank, two wires loosed on top. Two minutes passed as he hooked the cell-phone on the two wires; the cell-phone custom made to simplify the connection process. Another minute and he carved the code 'f0rTNT0' into the inner side of the crate lid: the two zeros already written on the crate.

"He'll pay for what he did ten years ago….to her." He shut and locked the crate, gazing at the golden ring around his finger before sliding the key between two planks in the floor.

0

Downtown at a secure building with Jodie and Troy, Conan read over the papers and photos left by Troy after the man left for an important meeting; the moment he felt Troy was far enough away, he turned to Jodie.

"He knows more than he's letting on."

"You got that impression too?" Jodie stared at the door Troy left through, now closed, the man's footsteps fading with the increased distance. "Troy Craig….I heard he's known for being tight-lipped, almost aloof with others." She turned to Conan, her eyebrows raised seeing how Conan glared at the door. "Cool Kid…?"

"There's something that's been bugging me….why did the bomber pick that abandoned house for the first bombing? It was removed from the city, no one had lived there for years….What significance did it have?" Conan searched through the photos until he found one of the house -- but that photo only showed the yard and cellar that had been destroyed.

"Um…if I remember correctly…." Jodie read over a sheet of paper detailing the explosion-sites. Her eyes widened reading over the address of the house outside of the city. "This…I think…is…."

"That's the site where an FBI agent was assassinated ten years ago." James Black stepped into the room, shutting the door silently before turning to Jodie and Conan.

"James….what are you doing here?"

"Keeping an eye on Troy Craig…the FBI agent that was assassinated ten years ago was his wife."

"His wife…but if that's…." Conan read over the paper with the codes, focusing solely on f0rTNT0 -- or it's decoded form now flashing through his thoughts: Fortunato. "This code…'Fortunato'…."

" 'Fortunato'? Isn't that a character name from an Edgar Allan Poe story? The title was…." Jodie paused, eyes widening. " 'The Cask of Amontillado' a revenge/murder story….revenge…James, you don't think that Troy…."

"Yes, Troy might be involved with the current bombings if it's for revenge for his wife…she was an undercover agent investigating the Syndicate for the FBI."

"Then her identity was discovered and the Syndicate killed her…now Troy wants revenge? But they both knew the risks….and if she made a mistake…."

"No, the Syndicate killed her after Troy's identity as an CIA agent was discovered." James closed his eyes and breathed deeply before continuing. "The FBI agent, Toni, left the assignment and FBI before her identity was unearthed. She in fact turned rogue before she was killed…something the Syndicate failed to find out before her death. The Syndicate agent that killed her was Gin."

Conan listened intently to James Black's words, his thoughts connecting them together with the present situation. _'This could mean Troy blames his wife's death on himself and the Syndicate….if his identity hadn't been found out, or if the Syndicate knew she turned rogue….'_

"Toni turned rogue? But…does that mean she had plans to join the Syndicate as a real member? Not an undercover FBI?" Jodie drew back as James nodded, the older man holding out a photo of a woman with long, pitch-black hair and dark eyes that gave off a greenish glint.

"This is Toni."

**A/N: End Chapter**

**Nemo me impune lacessit = No one attacks me with impunity, quote found in The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe.**


	6. On Murder's Wing

**Murder Broods**

**Chapter 6:** **_On Murder's Wing_**

Rain drenched the windshield as Gin drove the replacement car, cursing the loss of his Porsche as he sped down the road; beside him in the passenger-seat laid the photo he pilfered from the house as well as a video tape marked '_Not with Impunity'_-- the handwriting bringing back vague memories.

"Toni…ten years….ago….it's been so long, though…." He glanced at the now frameless photo once more, this time lingering over the dark-haired woman -- her face seemed almost familiar, but his brain blocked out any clear recollection. "Never had much luck with women…." He reached over and took the lit cigarette held in the car ashtray; he blinked and a sharp pain cut through his head -- the beginning of a migraine.

The rain-slick road ahead turned sharply and he swerved suddenly, splashing through a deep puddle. Cursing as he steadied the vehicle and slowed on the shoulder of the road, he gripped the steering-wheel tight -- the pain from his wounded arm hindered his reflexes, and he stopped on the side of the road.

The rain overhead grew stronger.

"Damn…." Gin crushed his cigarette in his hand and tossed it in the ashtray; he glared at the photo on the passenger-seat, his anger aimed at Troy, and saw stray ashes that landed on the unprotected photo -- on the lower half of the photo, on the face of the child holding the woman's hand. '_No._'

The impulse rushed past conscious thought and he grabbed the photo, flinging the ash off of it.

"Saya…." His eyes widened at the barely marred face of the child staring up at him; the light skin, the blonde-silver hair barrette-clipped on the side -- his memory added the green hue to the eyes barely visible in the photo. "Six years old….six…."

His fingers shook holding the photo, something he quickly stilled by clenching the photo, careful not to wrinkle the side with the child. He stared down, the shadows blanketing his eyes as he thought.

"Saya…" The wind picked as he snapped his eyes back to the video tape, the handwriting clearer now; he felt his heart pounding in his chest. "It couldn't be….this…." He studied each word, each letter closely, eyes widened in disbelief. "Impossible, I shot…."

The rain dulled down as his cell-phone rang.

0

"Gin," Vermouth held the cell-phone put with her head and shoulder while she loaded the gun in her hands; the computer screen glowed in front of her. "I found that information you wanted, about Troy Craig. Seems he's the CIA agent that got away ten years ago -- of course he got away from you so you know that, but it…."

She paused and listened to Gin on the other end, clicking the ammunition into the gun.

"Absinthe? She's in the hotel room, she didn't leave at all…though her cell rang once or twice…." Vermouth's eyebrows rose at each word Gin spoke, she breathed out with a half-smile when he finished. "You think she's the hacker? It _was_ curious how she escaped unscathed with three bombs….should I deal with her now?"

Vermouth's eyes widened then narrowed with interest as the rain pelted against the window -- Gin's words taking her by surprise.

"Let her go? But Gin…what? An accomplice? That'd make sense since she stood under our radar until now….but shouldn't I…."

She silenced herself and nodded, muttering '_all right' _into the cell-phone after hearing Gin's un-budging tone.

"Now about Troy….after he escaped assassination he went into hiding, resurfacing as an agent five years later investigating bombings and terror threats. He had a perfect record until three years ago, when…."

The sudden explosion rocked through the building, the air suddenly intense as Vermouth jumped to her feet.

0

Conan dropped the photo as the explosion thundered down the hall; he ran out of the room, Jodie and James close behind. Smoke clouded the hall a few doors down, rising to the ceiling ash-grey. Conan covered his mouth with his arm as he ran through the smoke, stopping when he reached the elevator -- the smoke billowed out of the cracks of the door.

'_The elevator….damn it….was anyone inside?'_

The sound of feet rushed toward him from the left, paused -- an audible gasp as a door a distance down the left hall clicked shut. He heard the feet turn around, and as the smoke cleared he glimpsed the retreating feet in fashion-design heels.

"Cool Kid, we need to see if anyone's hurt in the elevator." Jodie caught her breath and jabbed her finger on the door-open button of the elevator as soon as she reached it. The silver doors opened, releasing a little more smoke that soon faded revealing a contraption hooked up to the elevator speakers and blowing whiffs of smoke.

"This isn't a bomb….this…."

"It's a diversion." Conan clenched his fists and ran down the left hall, his ears strained to hear any footsteps as he turned onto another hall with stairs to the right. He continued on, cursing.

Three doors ahead to the left a door swung open, almost slammed into the hallway wall with the force; Conan froze hearing two familiar voices arguing. He quickly backtracked and hid behind a table stand as Vermouth and Vodka entered the hall.

'_Those two….what are they….'_

"Find her! Absinthe couldn't have gotten far. Look down that way." Vermouth ordered Vodka, pointing down the hall her eyes narrowed in anger. She took off down the stairway, bypassing Conan unawares.

'_Vermouth…Vodka….then the bomber….' _Conan ground his teeth and stepped from behind the table, readying his watch stun-gun. '_Who's Absinthe? Could it be…._'

Jodie reached the hall with the stairway, her gun drawn as she glanced around for Conan; she signed when she saw him and then glared at the stairway.

"I saw Vermouth pass by -- but why is she here?"

"Stay alert Jodie-sensei, Vodka's here as well -- he went down the other way." Conan glared at the room the two Syndicate member's had left, his heart pounding from the near run-in. "They seem to be looking for someone…."

"But they took off in a rush….do they know who the bomber is? That Troy…."

"No, not Troy…an accomplice…." Conan looked at each of the nearby doors, the room doors were all on one side sealed with card-swipe locks; across from those doors a solitary door with an 'employees only' sign remained shut. Conan noted the keypad lock over its handle. "Vermouth referred to her as Absinthe."

"Absinthe? But that's…a codename? One of their own members….?"

"Probably. Especially since Vermouth was so riled up she didn't notice me or you before rushing down the stairs." Conan turned back toward the stairway, his eyes drawn to the escape route map poster pasted to the wall. '_We're on the 9__th__ floor….9__th__….huh? What….?'_

Conan approached the poster, his heart beating fast -- across the top of the hotel map poster the words Core-Vine Hotel glared in bold type; his heart thumped as he pronounced the English words silently, then shifted his eyes to the floor layout. Wrapped in a square perimeter representing the outer halls of the floor, two intersected lines stared out from the poster.

"This is…."

0

Hakami leaned against the shut door, her dark eyes narrowed as she heard footsteps fading down the hall. Switching on the light she ran her fingers through her hair, then brought them to her eyes.

"That they didn't think to check this room…." She exhaled, her feet taking her further into the room -- the empty employee only break room. "Keypad locks can be hacked…."

Pausing in front of a sink and mirror in the break room, she brought her hands to her eyes again; the next moment green eyes glinted back at her, the color contacts placed on the counter.

"To think they'd find out this soon…heh….if that unexpected murder hadn't happened I'd been able to detonate those bombs….fortune's not my friend…heh." Hakami wetted her hands under the faucet and ran them through her hair, the blonde soon showing. The wall clock ticked in the background and she glanced at it, her lips pursed thin. "Neither is it that bastard's…."

She took out what appeared to be a cell-phone and flipped it open; instead of a normal cell-phone display the screen showed an encoded list on a black background -- numbers mixed with letters. Before each sequence the capital letters NB relayed the only connection between each code.

"…." Smirking, Hakami brought the speaker of the contraption to her lips and pressed down a button on the keypad. "NB 1 0 0 9.…" The black screen of the customized phone lit up, surrounding the number. "Execute."

The explosion rocked through the building.

**End Chapter: Please Review.**


	7. Norbury Fortune

**Murder Broods:**

**Chapter 7: Nor-Bury Fortune**

The force of the explosion rocked through the building as sudden as an earthquake -- Vermouth ducked back into the stairwell, shutting the door as she covered her mouth with her arm. Smoke filled the corridor of the 6th floor, tiny wisps squeezing through the cracks of the door.

"Damn, that was close." Vermouth tightened her grip on her gun, cracked open the door and peeked into the hall -- orange and yellow flames flickered from a room with its door charred, the detonation site. The flames climbed the blackened doorframe, crackling and sputtering up to the ceiling; a beep resounded through the hall and the drumming sound of water echoed as the sprinklers switched on.

Vermouth opened the door another few millimeters before stopping; Troy, with his grey streaked black hair, stumbled into the hall from the assaulted room, his face covered in cuts, his clothes bloodied from various wounds, and singed from the fire. He coughed into his hand as the smoke clouded the air, the sprinklers soaking him through.

Vermouth's eyes widened as she recognized his face from the information she gathered.

'_Troy Craig…but….' _She hesitated, but then turned back to the stairs, sneaking away from the assaulted floor, her blood pumping. '_What is Absinthe's game….'_

0

Conan braced himself against the wall during the sudden explosion, heartbeat racing; he smelled smoke though none could be seen -- the singed smell of something burnt. He ran down the hall, passed the employee only door, shouting back at the FBI agents that the hacker was still on this floor.

"Guard the employee room door and the two parallel hallways -- this floor's layout guarantees the culprit will have to pass through one of those ways." Conan finished speaking as he turned the corner and then turned onto the middle corridor -- the floor's layout from the map imprinted in his thoughts. _'The two center hallways form a + sign, with the horizontal one blocked on either end by an employee break room….' _His eyes lit up as the smoke smell grew stronger, he readied his stun-gun as brief wisps of smoke unfurled and dispersed.

Hakami stepped into the hall in front of Conan; her now silver-blonde hair startled the young detective, making him hesitate. He shot her with his stun-gun the second he spied the automatic pistol in her hand. She slumped against the wall the next second, sliding to the floor as he exhaled and approached; he kicked the gun out of her hand and away. It skidded across the floor, making a sound that caused Conan's heart to jump -- it beeped and smoke billowed from it.

"What…."

Hakami grabbed Conan as his eyes widened on the contraption, silencing him by pressing the metallic barrel of her real firearm against his temple; her right arm held Conan's child body easily against her chest as she stood, her head tilted to the side as though to ask 'you're surprised?' Her green eyes gleamed in the overhead light as footsteps echoed from down the hall as the FBI agents responded to the smoke.

"How…?"

"It never occurred to you that the Syndicate would analyze the chemical used in that stunning-gadget after it got used on Gin? He brought the dart to the lab after that incident -- the scientists had no real trouble analyzing it." Hakami smirked as Conan's heartbeat quickened under her arm, the small detective struggling to free himself, eyes widened.

"But how did you know I…." Conan squirmed, then froze, sweat dripping down his face, his stomach in knots.

"Teitan elementary, 10 years ago. I transferred to your class for a few months…and I never forget a face, Kudo." She whispered the last word in his ear, and a chill raced down his spine; his stomach clenched and his skin whitened.

"You….You…."

Hakami squeezed the breath out of him, and tightened her grip on the pistol as the FBI agents turned onto the center hall, guns aimed out in front.

0

Gin drove toward the city, turning onto a semi-empty side street heading toward downtown, cell-phone to his ear; he gripped the steering wheel tightly as he listened to Vodka's words about the explosion and Absinthe's escape.

"Neither of you considered the keypad lock to the Employee only room…." Gin's silver-blond hair shadowed his eyes; the window wipers swished over the windshield even as the rain cleared and stopped.

His wounded arm throbbed as he pulled into a parking garage; he flexed his right hand after he parked, switching the cell-phone to his left.

"Let Absinthe go for now, I have an idea where she'll strike next and when…." Gin ended the call and pocketed the phone; he leaned back in the driver seat while he lit a cigarette, breathing its smoke in deeply. After a few deep drags he held the cigarette with his teeth and exited the car, pocketing the photo and videotape from the passenger seat.

0

Pistol pressed against Conan's temple, Hakami faced Jodie and James as they entered the center hall from opposite ends; Jodie in front of her, James behind. She heard James' sharp intake of breath as his eyes widened and focused on her.

"Let him go, you won't escape…." James took a step toward Hakami, but froze when she gave a laugh, her lips twisted in a smirk. He saw as she revealed the wire under her collar, a wire attached to a microphone and hidden beneath her shirt.

"This is hooked to a transmitter with which I can detonate the massive explosive I have hidden in this hotel. As well as the other small bombs I've hidden inside and outside." Hakami boldly stepped forward, raising her eyebrows when Jodie remained firm in her stance and aim at the younger blonde.

"Let him go, now. This is not the way to get revenge on the Syndicate, yours and Troy's vendetta will…."

"Ah, well…if I whispered 'Norbury' in your ear it'd mean nothing to you, but…." Hakami chuckled as she averted her gaze to Conan, whose eyes widened. "I'm certain this little detective knows the reference. Ne, Conan-_Ku_n?"

"You…that…." Conan's heart jumped as Hakami stressed the '_ku' _in '_kun_', but the word _"Norbury" _focused his thoughts; his eyebrows shooting upwards as sweat dripped down his forehead. " 'The Adventure of the Yellow Face'….you're saying Jodie's deduction's wrong, revenge against the Syndicate's isn't your motive…but then what…."

"Think about it on your own time, detective." Hakami smirked and shifted her stance, the microphone closer to her lips. "NB 1009 terminate." The sudden screech assaulted the air and heavy smoke spilled from the vents; the overhead light switched off as Hakami threw Conan against the wall and ducked back toward the Employee break room while Jodie and James coughed and squinted their eyes in the smoke. She rushed through the hole in the wall from an earlier bomb, entering the break room and exiting it before Conan, Jodie, or James could catch her.

0

The TV screen glowed bright silver on Gin's face, his eyes obscured by his hat and front strands of hair; his lips expressionless. His finger still pressed on the stop button of the VCR, he ignored his ringing cell-phone, the snow-static on the TV screen heralding the deafening silence; he stepped forward and switched off the TV, his hand tightening on the VCR remote.

"This…this is…." Gin's chin stiffened, his lips pursed, teeth clenched; he ejected the videotape and placed the remote down, his eyes shadowed as he read over the words inscribed: 'Not With Impunity,' "Sa…hh…." He shook his head, the tape shaking in his hand. Anger like venom coursing through his veins exuded into the air surrounding him, hatred freezing his blood. "He…that son of a…."

Neither the knock on the room door, nor the sudden opening of said door pulled the ice from his eyes; the frigid sternness still focused on the blank screen. Vermouth visibly shivered when she saw Gin's face as she entered the room, Vodka right behind her.

"Gin…."

"Aniki…."

Gin's glare froze all other sounds in their throats, they saw the Beretta clenched in the tight fist of his left hand, the tape in his right.

"I'm going to kill that son of a bitch. Troy Craig will wish he never touched her."

**A/N: End Chapter.**

**For those of you who don't know the Holmes story "The Adventure of the Yellow Face" it is one story where Holmes' deduction is wrong in the end, and the reference to whispering the word Norbury in one's ear comes from that story.**


	8. Shades of Memory

**Murder Broods:**

**Chapter 8: Shades of Memory**

Her silver blonde hair drying slowly in the damp night air, Hakami blended into the crowds of passerby on Tokyo's busy city streets; the Syndicate's tracers and provided cell-phone discarded at the Hotel -- she glanced back as the ambulance siren whined through the night air, shrill even as it died away in the distance.

"Troy…still alive?" Hakami wrapped her fingers around the specialized cell-phone in her coat pocket; she swallowed, her eyes hidden by the strands of blonde hair falling from behind her ears.

She exhaled and turned down an alley, the damp night air turning chill as the wind picked up; when shadow swallowed her from sight she took out the cell-phone in her pocket, its screen black with number sequences in white.

Looking over the numbers with indifference, she pressed 3 thrice, and the display of a normal cell-phone appeared. It glowed and beeped, revealing a message of one missed call.

The glow illuminated her face, her eyes gazing over the coded word Fortunato: Troy's number beneath it.

"He's alive…." She flipped shut the phone, eyes straying to the high horizon line, the shadows drowned out her expression.

0

In a neighboring hotel, Conan paced the floor of an unoccupied room waiting for Jodie and James to return from talking with the police; Hakami's words echoed in his thoughts, how easily his name rolled from her lips.

'…_and I never forget a face, Kudo….'_

"She knows, but does that mean the Syndicate….damn….ah." He gasped as the rest of her words sunk in, even her reference to the Sherlock Holmes story. "Elementary school? She recognized me from that….but that….that would make her only 16.…and…." Images from the past floated into his consciousness.

_The short, silver blonde haired transferred student stood by the tree, not talking, keeping away from the other kids. Her hair in braids tied with ribbons, she stared down anyone who approached her._

_Shinichi kicked around a soccer ball as recess continued, glancing now and then at the transfer student with lukewarm interest._

"_Shinichi, don't you think Saya Kurosawa-san looks lonely?" Ran stood next to Shinichi, her saddened eyes watching the transfer student. "It's been two days, and she hasn't made any friends…."_

"_Geez…that's because she ignores everyone who approaches her. She might just want to be left alone…." He saw Ran shake her head and move toward the transfer student; he held the soccer ball under his arm and waited as Ran greeted the transfer student. _

_He expected Ran to be shooed away, but after a few minutes Ran instead sat next to the transfer student, a big smile on her face -- the transfer student turned to Ran seemingly interested for the first time in two days and sat down as well._

"_How…? Ran…."_

Conan leaned over the table, his insides shaking as the rest of the memories rushed back; the appearance of Hakami tonight resonated with his memory of the young transfer student -- the transfer student who disappeared after a few months.

"Saya Kurosawa….I….wait, Kurosawa? I've seen that name somewhere else, but where…."

The door opened and shut, in midst of his words; he turned to see Jodie approaching him only to glance back and pause: James stared down at Conan with wide eyes, his lips mouthing the name _Saya_. Conan swallowed, his blood pumping to his arms, legs, and gut, his eyes focused on the older FBI agent; the noise of shuffled feet behind the agent drew his attention away.

Conan's eyes widened as he saw Haibara staring at him, her head covered with the hood of her coat. Her shocked expression lasted another second before she turned away, walking toward the far wall away from the windows, and sitting down on a wooden desk chair.

'_Haibara….'_

"James, what is it? What…?"

"_Saya_…that name Conan just mentioned -- Saya was the name of Toni's daughter, Troy's stepdaughter." James pulled at the collar of his suit and stared at the room window before closing his eyes. He sighed and then opened them again. "The bomber at the hotel, she's grown, but I'm certain it was Saya."

"Saya….that…." Conan's memory of the transfer student jumped vividly in front of his thoughts. _'She was so shy, nice…what happened to….'_

"But Conan-kun, how do you know that name? Where did you…." James and Jodie stared at the young detective while Haibara glanced at him but quickly looked away.

"Ten years ago…Saya Kurosawa transferred into the same 1st grade class I attended. A few months later she vanished." Conan stared at the floor, his eyes shadowed; he clenched his fist before his next words. "She recognized me at the hotel, before you and James showed up in that hallway. She knows I'm Shinichi Kudo."

"God! If she knows, then the Syndicate…." Haibara leaped to her feet, rushing to Conan as panic set in her gut. "The Syndicate…."

Conan shook his head, and brought his hand to his forehead at the sudden stab of pain; he turned to Haibara the next moment.

"The Syndicate wouldn't bother sending a spy to investigate Mouri-ojisan if they knew who I was….they'd come straight for me. And now that Hakami's identity as the hacker/bomber is known to them they'll target her….unless…."

0

Vodka and Vermouth hung back in the shadows as Gin sat by the curtained window, his face darkened, eyes concealed by the strands of silver blond hair hanging down in front. Neither approached him as Gin wiped down his Beretta, checking the ammunition -- his presence so intense that silence seemed forced upon every inch of the room.

The click of the Beretta broke the silence; Vermouth and Vodka watched Gin pocket his weapon, and the videotape on the table after a swift glance over its plastic covering.

"Gin, about Absinthe…." Vermouth approached as Gin stood up; she faltered at his glare, the coldness in his eyes harsher than normal. She shivered.

"Not another word, Vermouth. Absinthe will make her next move in due time and I'll be ready for it. It's Troy who needs to be dealt with…."

"A retired CIA agent over a traitor?" Vermouth closed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. Her bemused half-smile faded as Gin walked passed her. "Gin, what are you hiding? What is on that tape?"

"Aniki…." Vodka approached Gin's side, his eyes behind his sunglasses flitting from Vermouth to Gin, the silent rage in his partner apparent to him; his chest went cold and he bit back his words. Gin ignored them both and continued to the door.

"Besides Absinthe looking an awful lot like Toni, what else is there about her that stops you from dealing with that traitor?" Vermouth's lips twisted into another bemused smile as Gin halted at the door. "Just the similar appearance wouldn't stop you, you dealt with Toni promptly 10 years ago…along with Saya…."

"Vermouth!" Gin snarled, glaring at her as he swiftly turned around; his hand in his pocket clenched tightly around the Beretta. The anger smoldering on his face, the snarl etched into his eyes and lips.

Vermouth inhaled sharply and stepped back at the bite of his reproaching glare. Her eyes widened, the words clogged in her throat; ten seconds passed with a swallow and a breath.

"Gin….is Absinthe…Saya?"

"Vermouth…." Gin's eyes held a deadly glint, his anger virulent simmering beneath the point of control. "Don't ever say her name."

The silence of the room filled the air with thick waves, Gin and Vermouth facing each other as Vodka fidgeted uncomfortably and swallowed a few times. His eyes locked on Gin, his pulse pounding seeing his partner's venomous and cold expression; the silence suffocating in the verbal deadlock.

"Aniki….if Absinthe is your daughter Saya" Vodka's voice echoed in the silence; he halted when Gin glared at him, but his partner turned and left the room without another word, his footsteps gradually fading.

"Hm," Vermouth loosened her crossed arms and let them fall to her sides; her lips curled in amusement. "To think Absinthe is Saya…that Saya survived…."

"….Vermouth…."

"How did she survive though? Gin was ordered to kill both Toni and Saya….even ten years ago Gin was cutthroat enough to shoot his ex-lover and her child…his own daughter…." Vermouth closed her eyes and breathed in and out, her expression calm and interested; she frowned when Vodka started out the door. "Vodka, there's nothing you…."

"If '_that person' _finds out that Saya lived, that Aniki failed to kill her when ordered…."

"That won't be an issue….if Saya's the hacker she's more valuable alive…being able to hack the security programs her mother developed for the Syndicate…."

"But Toni was an undercover FBI…."

"…who was about to defect to the Syndicate before being betrayed herself…a fact '_that person'_ found out only after her death." Vermouth brought her hand to her lips, her eyes widening in thought. 'But why did Toni want to defect in the first place….'

0

Troy limped along the asphalt parking lot, his wounds excruciating yet he succeeded in avoiding the police as he left the hotel; he leaned against a dark blue sedan before opening the door and collapsing into the driver's seat. He slammed his fists against the steering wheel, his face wrinkled with rage.

"That she'd….Saya, you…I tried to make amends…." He leaned back in the seat, the split-second memory of the explosion flashed through his thoughts.

'_The bomb he'd just planted beeped, spelling A M 0 N T 1 L L A D 0 on its LCD screen, his heart jumped as his legs pushed him away; the next moment the explosive detonated.'_

"That it'd come to this…Toni, you'll get your wish….your daughter…." Troy spread his fingers out in front of him, they trembled and his eyes settled on his missing left ring finger. "Toni…."

_Coal black eyes widened on a pale face, the next moment narrowing as the woman's head shook; her pitch-black hair swayed as her hand wrinkled a photograph in its grip._

"_How could you…how…." Toni glared at the photograph crushed in her fist, then at Troy in front of her. Her eyes glinted as she shook her fist at Troy, watching the man step back._

"_Calm down, Toni. Don't overreact…." Troy raised his arms in front of him in a defensive gesture._

"_Overreact?! I trusted you, and you…." She tore up the photograph, her lips twisted in disgust; she held her head in her hands, the golden wedding band shined in the overhead light. Troy stepped forward and grabbed Toni by the shoulders, she flinched at the touch of his strong hands._

"_It…it isn't what it seems….I mean…."_

_Toni slapped his arms away, her expression enraged, face heated with anger and disbelief. "Not what it seems? You…you're worse than Gin! Worse than Saya's own father!"_

"_Worse than that cutthroat?! Toni, that's too far, that…."_

"_Too far?! You…all Gin did was teach Saya how to load and fire a gun….and not the kind of 'gun' you tried to according to that photo! You disgusting…pedophile!"_

_Troy grabbed Toni's arms again, his heart thumping against his ribs; he gritted his teeth at Toni's kick to his groin, inhaling sharply but keeping a firm grip. The next second Toni rendered his left arm immobile by pressing specific pressure points along the arm; she pushed him against the wall._

"_You…."_

_Troy flinched as Toni pressed her knee against his left arm, breaking the bone with a gut-wrenching crack; he barely saw the glimpse of metal as she brought the knife to his left hand. The sudden pain venomous through his veins, he punched her in the gut, standing and gripping his wounded hand as she crashed into the wall._

_Toni returned to her feet wobbly, Troy's severed ring finger in her hand, along with her own wedding and engagement rings. She threw them at Troy before sliding back to her knees, her cheeks glossy with tears._

"_Leave. Get the hell out. I never want to see your face again."_

"_Toni…."_

"…_my daughter…you touched her…you…your pedophile hands…." Toni gasped and coughed as she bit back a sob, her chest heaving, hands trembling. "I didn't give birth to Saya for her to become a killer or a sexual-toy. But if I have to choose…I'd rather she'd be a killer….or dead." Toni sobbed, huddled against the wall, trembling as Troy left the apartment._

Troy leaned over the steering wheel, the cuts on his cheeks bleeding, mixing their red with the sweat running down his face. The cell-phone in his pocket vibrated and he bit his inner cheeks as he took it out; the vibrating stopped and he flipped it open, his throat constricting at the text message:

**- A3nt2dScr1ptFdsTrJn -**

**0000000000**

**Barren Cipher in the Transposed Day**

………**-SAYA**

A/N: End Chapter, please review.


	9. The Thousand Injuries of Fortunato

**Murder Broods:**

**Chapter 9: The Thousand Injuries of Fortunato**

"He's alive…" Hakami flipped shut the phone, eyes straying to the high horizon line, the shadows drowned out her expression. "Troy…my Fortunato…." She pocketed the phone, her fingers lingered in her pocket, the touch of cold metal welcomed her fingertips. "How you've wounded me…."

"_Saya…." Troy's ragged breath…his heavy grip…_

Lightning flashed simultaneously with the memory, Hakami crashed to her knees, arms wrapped around her chest. The phantom-touch of hands crawled over her skin she retched, the memory's aftermath bubbling in her stomach. Teeth clenched tight, Hakami dug her nails into her arms, the pain centering her thoughts as she stood.

The rain began cascading down and she leaned against the wet concrete wall separating the alley from a neighboring building. She loosened her nails from her arm, the downpour washing away the brief crimson that seeped from the broken skin.

"….you should've just left me there…." Hakami moved her left hand under her shirt, the cold fingertips tracing over the scar she could picture perfectly clear -- the memento from ten years ago.

The bullet scar from the night Gin shot her under orders from the Syndicate, shot her and killed her mother.

"Troy…did you save me that night just to…." She shuddered and shook her head, her drenched silver-blonde hair covering her eyes. "…you'll get what you deserve soon…."

Silver lightning illuminated the sky once more as she listened for the thunder, the boom a distant percussion. Her green eyes stared blankly at the sky watching the raindrops; a small smile grew on her lips as the seconds passed.

"I wonder if that smoke did its job….on that boy…on Kudo…." She turned and continued down the alleyway, letting the night shadows swallow her from view.

0

Forehead glossed with sweat, Conan felt the heat radiating from his skin, his cold from the past few days suddenly worse. He cringed, his headache feeling like a vice crushing in his skull.

'_Why…ow…my head, my….'_ The sudden throb in his chest doubled him over, the familiarity alarming. _'Impossible…how….'_

"Kudo!" Haibara's eyes widened as she watched Conan clutch his chest, head shaking in disbelief -- She'd seen this before, but it wasn't possible…she hadn't given him the antidote.

"Conan! What's wrong?" Jodie rushed to the young detective, James at her side. "Was there something in that smoke…."

'_Smoke? I was exposed to that…but did Hakami…? How…'_ Conan collapsed, his thoughts ending as he blacked out.

0

Shinichi awoke on the sofa with what seemed like a bathrobe draped over him. The light burned his eyes; his dim recollection growing clear he sat upright, shock carving his features as he observed his teenaged limbs.

"How…."

"That's what I'd like to know. You didn't take any of the prototype antidote, did you Kudo?" Haibara glared up at him, her demeanor stern as she studied the now teenage detective's facial expression. Her eyes widened at the genuine shock on Shinichi's face.

"I didn't take anything…I barely even ate the past few days." Shinichi straightened the bathrobe to fully cover his naked limbs; he glanced around the room, now emptied but for him and Haibara. "Where did Jodie and James go?"

"To get you a change of clothes, there's no telling how long this will last…but how did you change back? You must have been exposed to something that counteracted the effects of APTX 4869, but how? When?"

Shinichi stared at the carpet, his mind replaying the only time he'd been exposed to something out of the ordinary during that past few days. His lips twitched as he thought.

"It must have been Hakami and the smoke-contraptions she used as diversions. They were the last strange things I was exposed to before this."

"An antidote inhaled from smoke? But…that can't…how could Hakami create an antidote? How could she even know….that you…that the drug…."

Jodie and James entered the room cutting off Haibara's words as James handed Shinichi some clothes. The three waited while Shinichi changed in the adjoining bathroom, returning minutes later fully dressed in slacks and a T-shirt.

"Haibara's filled us in on what you talked about before we returned. And it seems incredible that Hakami could've done this…"

"It's not impossible…she infiltrated the Syndicate as a member, and it was either her or Troy who hacked the Syndicate's mainframe." Shinichi gripped his chin with his hand as he mulled over his deduction, eyebrows furrowed as he thought. "The information hacked could've been about that drug and might have included other vital information the Syndicate wished to remain secret."

"That sounds plausible, and highly probable with how the Syndicate reacted to the breach."

"But…." Haibara listened and shook her head. "Even if Hakami did hack information about that drug, hacking and chemical analysis are two different branches of science. Unless her intelligence is genius level, to do both at her supposed age is impossible."

"Then it is possible. I told you earlier, she transferred to my first grade class ten years ago. What I didn't tell you is she was the smartest student in the school those three months she attended. The smartest and most dedicated student."

Shinichi paused as he recollected Hakami, or rather Saya, from ten years ago, the rain drumming against the windows.

0

Wipers swishing over the windshield, Gin clenched the steering wheel, the crimson glow of the traffic light shedding a blood tint onto his shadowed features. His silver-blond hair settled in waves along his back and shoulders like a stream of silk; he bit down on his bottom lip, drawing blood that deepened his virulence.

"_Papa!" Saya locked her limbs around his leg the moment he shut the apartment door, while behind her Toni glared at him, arms folded across her chest. _

"_Saya, you know better than to behave that way." Toni reproached and stepped forward, arms out to pull her four year old daughter away from Gin's leg. Saya shook her head and held on tighter to her father's leg._

"_Saya." Gin knelt down and picked up the four year old, softly touching the downy blonde hair barrette-clipped to the side. He paused when Saya wrapped her arms around his neck, his widened eyes hidden by his hair. "Let go, and go to the other room."_

"_No." She squeezed her arms tighter around his neck and buried her face against his shoulder, refusing to budge; Gin felt her shudder and gasp._

"_Saya…what's gotten into you?" Toni pried Saya from Gin, shaking her head; before she could scold Saya, the four year old jumped from her arms and ran into the next room. "I don't know what's gotten into her…she took our breakup six months ago all right."_

_Gin glanced at the doorway Saya had run through, his eyebrows raised as he felt his shoulder -- Saya had been crying._

"_I'll come around again once I have time." Gin muttered, his gaze back on Toni. "You have that program ready, right?"_

_Toni handed him the disc without another word, her cold eyes staring at him with indifference._

"_Don't bother coming around for anything other than Syndicate business. Neither of us need you." Toni crossed her arms over her chest again, this time flaunting the engagement ring on her finger._

"_So Vermouth was right about you and the new member…Troy, right? Codename Merlot…"_

"_Yes, he moved in last week."_

"_What?" Gin nearly snarled, but instead swallowed and stood rigidly still; his insides burning with the possessiveness shining in his green eyes. "He's only been a member a month, and he's still under investigation."_

"_Are you concerned or just jealous?" Toni stared at him eyebrows raised in haughty bemusement._

"…_Neither, but it seems you added a new meaning to your codename, Hops." Gin smirked as Toni's cheeks reddened; his cheek reddened the next moment by Toni's slap._

"_That…don't you even…I'm not the one who slept with whoever I wished during our relationship. And I overlooked each of your dalliances for Saya's sake. So don't you even…."_

"…_." Gin felt his stinging cheek, lips pursed as his retort burned in his throat. The apartment door behind him opened before he could speak. He turned around to face whoever entered._

_Troy stood in the doorway, glancing from Gin to Toni, expression intrigued._

"_Am I interrupting?"_

_Gin gave him a cold look and stalked out of the apartment, suppressing the urge to take out his Beretta and fire it at Troy -- that needless act of jealous rage would only backfire unless Troy betrayed the Syndicate._

Gin stirred from his memories when a vehicle behind him honked, the traffic light now green above him. He glowered and pressed the gas pedal, accelerating until the vehicle was well behind him.

"If I killed Troy back then…." Gin shook his head, recalling Saya's behavior that day, then the recording on the videotape; Saya hadn't been older than four or five in what he watched of the video -- only the first few minutes he'd been able to stand before stopping the tape, his stomach turning. "Younger than five…and yet he raped her…raped…."

His face contorted as the video burned in his thoughts, and he slammed his fist against the dashboard; lips bloody from biting into them without noticing.

"Did he start the moment he moved in with Toni?" Gin growled, lump forming in his throat as he recalled how Saya had cried secretly on his shoulder that day -- the last day he'd seen her before being ordered to kill her and Toni two years later.

His daughter, who never even cried in front of him since 2 years old, had cried on his shoulder -- just a week after Troy moved in with Toni.

He accelerated as the wind swept the rain into a watery shroud, drenching his windshield so that the wipers barely made a difference.

It was the sound of screeching brakes approaching him from the left that jarred his recollection of his surroundings. He immediately swerved, avoiding the collision even as his wounded arm throbbed. He growled and glared at the other vehicle through the passenger side window -- his lips scowling in annoyance of the blue sedan feet from his vehicle.

The next moment his eyes widened as the driver side door of the sedan opened and the driver shouted at him. Gin recognized the older man's gray-streaked black hair and rigid build -- even animated in anger Troy wasn't difficult to recognize.

Gin smirked, biding his time as Troy approached, the retired CIA unable to clearly see Gin due to the rain and the gap between the passenger seat window and driver's seat.

The moment Troy was close enough, Gin exited the car, for the first time glad that he couldn't drive his Porsche. His Beretta gripped tightly in his left hand.

"Hello Troy."

**A/N: Quite a long chapter…1800 words or so, and a cliffhanger. I hope you enjoyed this, please review, I love all reviews…no matter how short or long or whatever. **

**Random News: I'm working on my own doujinshi of Detective Conan that's Gin x Shinichi (nonconsensual, of course), and I plan on writing a fanfic with that pairing along with another fanfic that takes place before this one exploring Toni's time in the Syndicate.**


	10. Not With Impunity 2

**Murder Broods**

**Chapter 10: **_**Not With Impunity II**_

Heavy droplets of rain fell as a shroud from the night sky, drenching the concrete and asphalt down below. Shinichi gazed out the window, his mind thumbing through his memory; he drew out of his reverie only as Haibara questioned Jodie, the FBI agent filling the mini-scientist in on Hakami and Toni, and recent events.

"I don't get it, if Hakami's or rather Saya's mother was an undercover FBI investigating the Syndicate, why didn't your people hide Saya from the Syndicate? As the child of one of your own…" Haibara's words trailed off as she watched Jodie close her eyes and exhale, the FBI agent then glancing out the window. The rain beat against the window glass a solemn tune, steady and monotonous.

Shinichi drew in a breath and turned to Jodie, berating himself for not wondering about that fact before. His eyebrows shot up when Jodie glanced at James as though in silent conversation; the older man returned her look with a nod, stepping forward as he exhaled -- he pinched the bridge of his nose before responding.

"Remanding Saya into protective custody would've blown Toni's cover. Saya was born a year after Toni infiltrated the Syndicate, the result of an unplanned pregnancy Toni refused to abort."

Shinichi gaped, then averted his gaze to the window before drawing in a deeper breath; shaking his head in disbelief and confusion he turned back to James, noting Haibara's similar, if slightly colder, reaction to the new information.

"It's against your policies to put a pregnant agent into such a dangerous position or to keep an agent in such a dangerous position after becoming pregnant, isn't it?"

"It usually is, but Toni was known for her stubborn determination -- she refused to leave her assignment, and opted to become what might be called a sleeper agent."

"An agent whose purpose is to simply bide time until given orders, and not do anything as a spy until 'awoken' by those orders. The term is often used in fiction, but Toni opted to play the part of a real sleeper agent." Jodie elaborated on James words, her arms crossed over her chest as she sank into her thoughts -- she hadn't know Toni personally, but had heard the stories about her among the other FBI agents.

Toni's skills often contradicted her personality, which was generally positive and upbeat; but the moment it was called for Toni's skills at unharmed combat were top notched -- coupled with her knowledge of pressure points and the spine it was a deadly combination.

"Toni's pregnancy actually helped convince the Syndicate that she wasn't a double agent. Since it is against policy to keep a pregnant agent in such a situation." James continued, his eyes carefully watching Shinichi and Haibara's reactions; he paused when Andre Camel stepped through the door. "Camel, any word on Troy's whereabouts?"

Camel shook his head and closed the door, the expression on his face keeping James from continuing his explanation of Toni.

"There's something about Troy I found out after informing the CIA of his recent actions. First, they didn't send him and he didn't investigate the bombings in the States from a year ago. Second, he was forced to resign from the CIA pending an investigation."

"He was under investigation? That's news. Was it about his work as an operative?"

"No." Camel's narrowed eyes closed after he glanced around at each of them, surprised at Shinichi's appearance but he decided not to question it. "It was his personal life -- family life -- that was investigated."

"Family investigation?" Jodie's arms loosened, her eyes widening.

"And whatever it was for, it was squashed quickly -- the investigation ended after a week when he opted to resign."

"But…the most likely reason for an investigation of that sort is…."

"Troy was accused of child sexual abuse and child pornography."

0

"Hello Troy." Gin smirked as Troy jerked back, the CIA agent's angry eyes widening with fear, and Gin noted with relish, with pain. The silver-blond haired man bared his teeth in his smirk, Beretta aimed directly at his prey as Troy stumbled backward a step.

"Gin." Troy forced himself to stand upright, his hand clenching his wounded side, as he stared coldly at the younger man. His insides quaked, the rain glossed street empty of traffic with the overhead light changing from yellow to red.

"To think I'd find you like this…." Gin bit down on his lip, drawing blood, his cold expression showing through the strands of hair falling over his face. He waited, lightning flashing overhead illuminated their surroundings -- Troy moved first, dodging behind the sedan, grabbing the firearm strapped around his ankle.

Crouched down, Troy breathed; expecting that without the silencer on his Beretta that Gin would hesitate, he quickly stood, aimed, and squeezed down on the trigger -- the thunder cracking above him drowned out two shots. Troy fell against his sedan, the gun shot out of his hand by Gin, the silver-blond man stepping closer with each heartbeat of Troy's.

'_He fired without the silencer?!' _Troy held his bleeding hand, his widened eyes searching over Gin's face, unable to read the approaching man's expression. '_That isn't like him even at his angriest.'_

0

Camel paused a few seconds as his sentence sunk into the ears of each person present, he took out a folded document from his coat pocket. "It never made it on record and was hushed up, but the agent I got in touch with knew about it and was readily willing to tell me. There was also an investigation involving a different matter stemming from ten years ago."

"Ten years ago? That's when Toni, the FBI agent he married, was killed -- after his double agent status was discovered by the Syndicate. But what could prompt…."

"Troy was suspected of deliberately blowing his cover to prevent Toni from defecting to the Syndicate."

"Ah…." Shinichi inhaled sharply with widened eyes, he turned away and stared unseeing at the floor as these new facts filled in the missing pieces in his deduction. "If those accusations are true…then….then…." He swallowed, his gut twisting as the thoughts continued silently in his head. He bit down on his lip, his fist clenched before speaking those thoughts. "That's Hakami's motive. If the child sexual abuse is true, the victim was probably his own stepdaughter: Toni's daughter Saya. Which James here has identified as Hakami."

"Kudo….that…."

"Are you saying that…Troy is…." Jodie approached Shinichi, pausing when he turned and nodded.

"Troy is probably Hakami's true target…or is at least among them. That's why Troy's name was in those codes, and why she worked with him on his vendetta with the explosives."

"But…wouldn't it have occurred to Troy that Saya…."

"That's probably why she bombed Gin's Porsche…to convince Troy she's after the Syndicate…James said earlier that is was Gin who killed Toni." Shinichi's lips curved into the smile he got whenever he deduced something that had been difficult -- it quickly faltered when the question bubbling in the back of his thoughts surfaced; Saya's physical appearance at the hotel clicking something in his brain.

"What is it? Did you figure out something else?" The three FBI agents approached, with Jodie stopping the nearest to Shinichi, her words faded into the silence.

"…you said that Toni got pregnant while infiltrating the Syndicate…." Shinichi watched Jodie nod from the corner of his eye. "Then who was it…who was the father?" The teen detective felt his heart race as Jodie blinked, her expression betraying her ignorance while behind her James gasped and looked down.

The old man sighed, his eyes glazed in silent thought before he spoke.

"Toni never said who, only that he was a member of the Syndicate. And her sleeper agent role prevented us from actively seeking that information."

'_A Syndicate member?' _Haibara paled, her heart racing in her chest; the name Kudo had mentioned earlier as she'd stepped into the room echoing in her ears: Kurosawa, Saya Kurosawa. The family name Gin had used once of twice when not undercover, whether it was his true name or not, she didn't know. But….

"Damn, this case just keeps getting more and more complex." Shinichi smirked, gazing upward, his previously shadowed eyes illuminated by the overhead light; his lips revealed a tinge of bitter disbelief -- a grin that wasn't happy or excited, just a marker of him not knowing what to feel.

"You've come to the same thing I suspected all those years ago, haven't you Kudo?" James words brought Shinichi's gaze to him, though the detective remained silent. "I saw Saya a year or so before Toni's death -- quite by accident -- and she looked nothing like Toni, but must have been the spitting image of her father."

"Spitting image? Her father…." Jodie's eyes widened as she realized what Shinichi and James meant; she shook her head even as the proof of Saya's hair, eyes, and face burned beneath her eyelids. "You…you can't mean that Gin….but he was the one sent to kill Toni after…kill both her _and _Saya…."

"With the Syndicate, after Toni's double agent status was discovered, it'd have been their priority to root out other traitors." Haibara said as she crossed her arms over her chest, and stared at the far wall to avoid seeing the other's stares. "It's unsurprising that Gin would be the one sent to kill them -- to prove his loyalty to the Syndicate."

"To kill his own daughter…." Jodie shook her head once more, eyes shadowed for a second while the thought twisted her stomach. The flash of lightning through the window illuminated another thought that caught her breath. "What…what would happen if Gin found out? Not that Saya survived…but that Troy…allegedly molested, or even raped, Saya?"

Thunder exploded through the silence.

0

"Gin." Troy felt his pulse quicken, heart beating almost painfully with each footstep the younger man took; the adrenaline rushed through Troy's limbs and he jumped to his feet, brandishing a knife when only two feet separated him and Gin. He aimed for Gin's left wrist, his thoughts on disabling Gin's gun-hand; the knife swished through the damp air, their close proximity and Troy's movements preventing Gin's use of the Beretta.

Gin brought his left arm to his side, and stopped Troy's knife swipe with his right hand; blood oozed from the resulting gash as he kneed Troy in the gut. As Troy fell against the sedan, leaving the knife in Gin's palm, Gin aimed the Beretta against the older man's temple.

Troy stared with widened eyes at Gin's expression, noticing the scratch bleeding on Gin's cheek from his fired shot -- the redness blended out with the rain. Troy shivered as the touch of metal against his temple, and gulped at the uncharacteristic degree of cold fury etched on Gin's features.

"Gin."

"Fortunato."

Troy's eyes widened more, his gasp caught in his throat while he watched Gin pocket the knife in his right-hand pocket; the CIA agent blanched as his adversary removed a videotape from his pocket, showing the front clearing to Troy. The words 'Not With Impunity' carved clearly in Saya's handwriting.

Troy swallowed and backed against the sedan -- it was _that_ tape Gin held in his hand.

"Did you think I'd never find out?"

"…." Troy's face lost the rest of its color, and he pressed his back against the sedan, as though he could pass through the metal frame and flee. "I…."

Gin's glare killed the words in his throat, the sharp prod of the Beretta a dim throb as he gulp. His inside clenched, the angry eyes of the man above him silently vowing '_I will kill you.'_

**A/N: End chapter. Please review.**


	11. The Wrong Redressed

**Murder Broods**

**Chapter 11: **_**The Wrong Redressed**_

Troy struggled to breathe, mouth filled with blood rising from his stomach as he slid down the wall; his arms handcuffed behind him, he glanced around the room -- its florescent light overbearing. He closed his eyes and spit blood onto the floor; his insides shook, stomach twisted remembering Gin's hate engraved expression when the younger man first shoved him into this room.

"_Did you think I'd just _kill_ you?" Gin stood over him, glowering; the blond gave a laugh seeing Troy's widening eyes. "That'd be too merciful -- the wrong un-redressed."_

"_Please…" Troy stared up at Gin, handcuffed arms useless as the younger man kicked him hard in the gut; he doubled over and coughed. The next moment thrown against the wall as Gin struck his ribs, breaking a few._

"…_Of all the children you could have…you had to pick _my_ daughter…." The overhead lights cast heavy shadows over Gin's face, obscuring it; the blond bit down on his bottom lip, making it bleed._

_Troy stifled a cough, blood rising to his throat from his rib-punctured lungs; he braced himself, and glared up at Gin._

"…_Don't say you actually care…you shot her to _kill_ her that night, all to save your own skin." Troy's vision went black as Gin backhanded him with the handle of the Beretta; his temple and the assaulted side of his face throbbing, sticky with blood, he blinked and coughed. He tasted blood as his consciousness returned. "Gin…."_

_Gin glared down at Troy, his face filled with an uncharacteristic level of fury; he felt his heart beating faster from the older man's words, and he placed his Beretta in his trench coat pocket. He waited until Troy looked back up at him, settling down his adrenaline-filled body in those passing seconds._

"_I did shoot to kill that night, under orders…but Troy you're the one who caused it. Betraying Toni's identity…no…." Gin's hair hid his expression from view as he thought. "I never believed Toni truly wanted to defect to our Syndicate when the truth came out after her death…her stubborn nature and overprotection of Saya I believed guaranteed she'd try the opposite."_

"_Gin…" Troy stared at Gin with widened eyes, the side of his face swelling. He braced himself against the wall as he swallowed, heart pounding._

"_But the moment I watched that video, I knew….knew _why_ Toni wanted to defect. She found out what you did to Saya." Gin flexed his fingers, murderous eyes staring down at Troy with disgust. "And you betrayed her to save yourself."_

"No." Troy closed then opened his eyes as the memory faded -- Gin had kept him confined since their altercation, torturing him sporadically during the passing hours. His body burned from the pain but he ignored it, his thoughts on the last text message Saya had sent to his phone. '_Barren…Transposed Day…Saya plans on doing the same thing Toni…the Night Baron computer virus…I….'_

His vision blurred and he felt himself falling as darkness suffocated his surroundings.

0

"Gin, how long do you plan on keeping him alive? It's not like he'd give us any information…." Vermouth studied Gin as the man glared through the one-way glass window overlooking Troy's confinement cell. She shuddered at the cold fury radiating from Gin, unable to continue until she averted her stare from his hatred etched face. "We should find Absinthe, even if she is Saya…."

"…I know Vermouth." Gin remained in front of the window, glaring down at the unconscious Troy; he slipped his hand into his pocket and took out a cell phone. The cell phone found in Troy's sedan when Vermouth and Vodka cleaned up the evidence of Gin and Troy's altercation. "Any threat to the Syndicate's secrecy has to be eliminated…."

"Gin…." Vermouth felt her mouth go dry, eyes widening a fraction as she watched Gin flip open Troy's cell phone; the illuminated screen threw light on Gin's face, contrasting sharply with the shadows caused by his hair. "We can just capture and detain her….if she proves her loyalty to the Syndicate…."

Gin turned around, ignoring Vermouth as he bypassed her and exited the room; Troy's cell phone he dropped back into his pocket. As Gin's footsteps fell heavy in the empty corridors, his right hand throbbed; he took it out from his pocket, the white dressing and bandage already stained with blood. Lips expressionlessly curved, he flexed his fingers, the sensation of his fist striking Troy tingling through each digit.

"I'll kill him soon enough." Gin's footsteps halted as his eyes focused on the corridor ahead of him. Vodka stood there making no move to approach or back away, sunglasses blocking his eyes from view. Gin noted the cell-phone in his partner's hand. "What is it Vodka?"

" '_That person' _sent a message, an order to kill Troy without delay. Before daybreak."

"_I'll _deal with Troy." Gin stared down at his partner, the anger etched in the contours of his face and the cold-blooded glare in his eyes freezing Vodka's response in the lower-ranked member's throat. "You leave him alone."

"Aniki….it's an direct order from '_that person'_…." Vodka flinched at the icy snarl Gin gave as the blond's hand went to the pocket that held the Beretta. Vodka swallowed, eyes wide beneath his sunglasses as he watched his partner's hand freeze in its path, instead clenching into a fist.

"Vodka…." Gin bit down on his inner cheeks, his insides tremoring from the fire of anger mixed with frustration. "I'll kill Troy by morning, an hour away."

"Aniki….what is it that Troy did? This isn't about Toni….is it?"

"Vodka." Gin's voice came out steady though he still kept his fist clenched, more to stop himself from retaliating that to express his anger. He stepped forward, teeth soon digging into his lips as Vodka stood his ground; his partner's sudden stubbornness lit a spark in his blood. His fist hit the wall as he cursed, the hatred he'd struggled to keep in check bubbling unhindered to the surface. "It's Saya…that cursed pedophile raped Saya!"

Both men stared at the other as the words filled the space between them, reverberating from the corridor walls. It grew to silence until Gin stepped forward once more, Vodka stepping to the side as his partner walked passed him. The lower-ranked man listened as the footsteps gradually faded behind him, eyes still widened in shock beneath his sunglasses.

Vodka flinched out of his shock when he saw Vermouth standing frozen in the corridor from which Gin had come. The expression on her face, with her hand half-covering her lips proved Gin's last sentence hadn't missed her ears.

0

Troy opened his eyes at the sharp kick to his abdomen, choking on the blood rising to his throat. His assaulter waited until his coughs died down before grabbing his hair, almost wrenching the strands from his skull. The handcuffs dug into his wrists behind his back, awaking his recollection as his vision cleared; above him Gin stood, the blond's glare scorching through him.

"Gin…give me over the police, I'll confess to what I did…just please…." He trembled as Gin reached into his trench-coat pocket, the pain and fear coursing through him breaking down his façade of adamancy. He started to struggle until he saw Gin's hand held a cell-phone; he blinked and looked up at the blond, eyebrows knitted in confusion.

"You owe Saya something." Gin said and watched the confusion in Troy's eyes shift to realization as the captive recognized his cell-phone. The older man stared at the floor as the younger held the cell-phone close to his ear and lips after turning on the speaker phone setting.

0

Hakami awoke, her vision blurred by the increasing presence of sunlight; she blinked, the wall solid against her back, her left hand still clasped tightly around the gun in her pocket. Green eyes focused on her surroundings: the four walls and scratched up floor of an unfurnished, cheap apartment.

"Morning already." She stretched, rising to her feet when the phone in her pocket vibrated; eyebrows raised, hand bringing the phone out and into view, Hakami's eyes widened a sliver then narrowed. The display window showed Troy's number. "He thinks I'll answer?"

Teeth digging into her bottom lip, the vibrating stopped, changing instead to a lighted screen reading: 1 new message. The brightening sun drew Hakami's attention to the window as she flipped open the cell-phone.

'_What message did he leave this time? Pleads to not use the Night Baron virus to bring an information apocalypse?'_

Eyes settled on the few clouds floating in the otherwise clear sky, Hakami pressed the buttons to playback the message, phone to her ear. Overhead a cloud obscured the sun as she listened, face rigid, eyes gleaming with each passing second; the words burned in her ears transfixing her attention on the phone.

The phone fell from her grip as the gunshot sound boomed at the end of the message; it clanked on the splintered floor, unmissed by the blank shock etched on her face.

"He….he…." Her stance faltered though she steadied herself before hitting the floor; the phone she scooped up, fingers unconsciously pressing the off button. "…it's over….Troy…Gin…." She moved her right hand to her face after dropping the phone in her pocket; the tremoring fingers spread over her eyes before cupping her mouth, moisture around the edges of her shut eyelids.

Swallowing, chest heaving with each silent breath, her other hand left her pocket, the cold steel still wrapped by her fingers. Awareness of the firearm in her hand returned gradually, her lungs burned as she uncovered her mouth and struggled to breathe normally; sharply her eyes opened, fixating on the automatic in her hand.

Clenching her fist she backed against the wall, firearm pressed violently against her temple; teeth ground tightly behind her parted lips. Her legs trembled but held her up, bent a little at the knees; her finger found the trigger, the cool metal beneath it smooth as she pressed slowly down.

She stopped, breath quickening as she wrenched the gun from her temple and slammed it on the floor. Her narrowed eyes glinting with rage, she watched the gun skid across the room, her legs buckling beneath her as she crashed to her knees. _'…mine…'_

"…he was _mine_…goddamn it…._I'm_ the one who…." She glared at the floor, hands spread out on the wooden surface, lips bloodied by her teeth digging into them. "Only if _all_ my attempts failed….only then….only…."

The sun shined once again unhindered through the window glass, illuminating her face as she side-glanced at the scenery outside -- hatred coloring her eyes and sculpting her expression as though in stone. She watched unmoving as the outside world awoke, the clouds sailing through the increasingly lightened sky.

"_I_ was supposed to get revenge…my revenge…."

**A/N: I finally updated! Please, please review!**


	12. New Turns

**Murder Broods**

**Chapter 12: **New Turns

Ran stood outside the apartment complex Hakami had lived in before the bombing incident; its other occupants already moved back in, but Hakami's apartment remained vacant.

"Hakami-san…." She glanced at her open cell-phone's screen, Hakami's cell number highlighted; Ran's finger lingered over the dial button before she put away the phone. "It'll just go to voicemail again…she did say she was only staying temporarily, but…."

Rustling leaves drew her attention to a nearby tree, her eyes focusing n movement among the green. Ran's eyes widened at the sudden fluttering of feathers and the cawing echoed in her ears as a crow flew toward her, landing on the sidewalk a foot away. Its plumage strikingly white, the crow preened its feathers, a metal brace glinting on its leg.

"White…." Ran watched as the crow stopped, side-glanced at her, and then fluttered back into the tree, it landed on a branch with a few black crows, the cawing louder as the black crows fluttered about.

The next moment the crows flew off as her cell-phone rang, the familiar ring-tone sending joy through her; she quickly answered it, glancing only once more at the apartment complex.

0

Haibara focused her eyes on the computer screen, the letters blurred as she stifled a yawn and wiped the sleep from her eyes. Thirty hours after the hotel incident and the FBI found no sign of Troy nor of Hakami. Nor had Shinichi reverted back to Conan.

"Haibara…." Shinichi approached the scientist, his hand placing his cell-phone back into his pocket. He paused while Haibara continued to type, then sighed to dispel the silence. "I called Ran, nothing seems to have happened….Agasa has already made a story for Conan's absence, so…."

"Hakami could inform the Syndicate at any time about you, you know." Haibara interrupted, her typing paused as she glanced back at Shinichi; the detective's expression betrayed a shadow of fear before he banished it.

"She hasn't yet, and to set up the antidote in the smoke she had to have known who I was for a while…probably even before meeting me as Conan."

"That makes it more dangerous…if she knew before seeing you, how did she find out? And does anyone else know? Even if the information hacked from the Syndicate's computers was about the APTX 4869, there's no way she could create an antidote that quickly…." Haibara closed her eyes and rubbed her fingers over her temple as the first jabbing of an headache began. The conversation from last night echoed in her thoughts -- Hakami was Gin's daughter Saya, the daughter he'd been ordered to kill. The thought mingled with a non-distant memory of her time in the Syndicate.

"_What's that in your hand, Gin?" Sherry asked as she approached him and saw Gin staring at something small and white in his hand._

"…_." Gin placed the item in his pocket, his eyes hidden by his hair and hat, though he seemed to watch the snow falling outside the window. "What are you doing here?"_

"_It is Christmas Eve, so I thought…" Sherry bit back her words at the look Gin gave her, his eyes glinting more than murderous. Those eyes held the power of icicles stabbing through her -- cold and dangerous._

_He passed by her the next moment, stepping silently through the doorway._

"Haibara? What is it?" Shinichi knelt beside Haibara to study the scientist's expression, its sudden change and her long pause alerting him.

"It's nothing, Kudo. Just exhaustion from worrying about when the Syndicate will find out from Hakami about you and me. It's probably just a matter of time now."

"Haibara…."

"Don't you get it, Kudo? Hakami isn't just any traitor to the Syndicate whom they'd just kill without listening to -- She's _Gin's_ daughter, and if he knows she's Saya, all it will take is her telling him your name and she's cleared of being a traitor."

Shinichi paled at those words, his unspoken fear voiced by the scientist; his insides quaked at the possibility that any second those he cared for could be killed, that if Jodie and the other FBI didn't find Hakami before the Syndicate it could all be over.

"I know that, Haibara. I've thought about it nonstop since yesterday, but I won't give up hope. After all, I'm not dead yet and neither are those I care about."

"Kudo…." Haibara turned away, eyes back on the computer screen, her heart pounding as the memory replayed in her thoughts. _'Why do I keep remembering that night? That look in Gin's eyes….'_

The creak as the door opened drew Shinichi's attention from Haibara, the scientist merely glanced at the room's threshold to see Jodie stepping inside. The paleness of the FBI agent's face spoke volumes before she even uttered a word.

"Troy's body has been found, with all evidence pointing to a culprit wiped clean. The only thing that's clear is Troy endured a brutal beating before being killed."

"Then Gin got to him first." Shinichi cursed and struck the wall with his fist, bracing himself for worse news when he caught Jodie's dark expression. "What else has happened? What…?"

"There's been another bombing, and this time there was a victim -- Kir."

0

Smoke billowed from the lit cigarette in his hand, the sky outside a clear blue even as the evidence of yesterday's rain storm remained in the puddles and damp grasses. The bandage on his right hand freshly changed, as well as those on his shoulder and side, Gin sat at the table waiting for Vodka.

The skin around his eyes whitened as he read the email on his cell-phone, the TV playing the News in the background. An explosive had been detonated at one of the Syndicate's laboratories -- and along with the research it destroyed, Kir had been gravely wounded.

"Aniki," Vodka hurried to the table, sitting next to Gin while the blond inhaled on his cigarette. "The other buildings are being searched, but so far no other explosives have been found. Aniki…."

"…." Gin slammed his fist on the table, the ashes falling from his cigarette scorched his fingers. "That explosive was triggered remotely like those before…." He glared ahead, narrowed eyes fixed on the wall across the room -- eyes reflecting pure hatred without the wild look of enjoyment usually present.

"Aniki….Sa--" Vodka choked back the name, silenced by Gin's violent glare as it struck him the second before he finished the name. He swallowed, skin pale and eyes widened behind his sunglasses; he briefly glanced down, noticing the ashes still on Gin's fingers and the resulting red burns the blond seemed not to notice.

"_Absinthe_ had worked in that building before becoming a field member." Gin stressed Hakami's codename and flicked his hand to chase away the ashes fallen on it; his tone grew less emotive with each syllable, his eyes once more covered by his hair.

"…." Vodka studied Gin's face, then glanced at the blond's bandaged right hand and the burns on the left one. He inhaled and drew in closer to his partner, voicing in a whisper: "I gave you my word before, Aniki, whatever happens…whenever you want to set _that_ plan into motion, I'm behind you."

Gin jerked his head back, his slightly widened eyes once again focused on Vodka, showing no other characteristic of emotion. Seconds drew by in silence as though speaking a secret neither had to voice. It ended when the corner of Gin's lip twitched and he leaned back in his chair.

"It's not time yet, Vodka. But it's fast approaching."

0

Shinichi cursed loudly, all color drained from his skin as Jodie's words echoed in the still room -- Kir, their link into the Syndicate, was laid up in the hospital, unconscious with injuries that'd probably end her usefulness in both the Syndicate and the CIA. Worse still, the fact that only Kir had been hurt proved nothing about which side Hakami targeted -- Troy had been CIA, he could've known Kir's identity and made Hakami privy to that information.

"Seems time is running out, Kudo." Haibara turned away from the detective and the FBI agent, her eyes running absently over the text she'd typed on the laptop -- her notes to the prototype antidote for APTX 4869. "Every moment Hakami remains free is another moment we risk sealing our fates…."

"I know that, Haibara, but I…." Shinichi paused when his cell-phone rang; the tone, he noticed, came from the one he used as Conan. Hesitantly, he drew it from his pocket and glanced at the Caller ID display, his other hand reaching half-way to his bowtie voice changer in his other pocket. His hand stopped on its way when he recognized Heiji Hattori's number.

Grinning a little, he answered the phone in his real voice, unsurprised by Hattori's reaction on the other end. He briefly apprised his fellow detective on the situation, deciding to leave out the parts about the Syndicate until Hattori mentioned watching the News coverage of the bombings.

"Yes, I am investigating it…." Shinichi paused, exhaling silently as he listened to Hattori; the next second his eyes widened. "You're on your way to Tokyo? But why?"

0

"Haven't you read the papers for the past two days?" Hattori asked, phone to his ear as he lifted his luggage-bag onto the rack. "There's an exhibition of world artwork and jewels coming to Tokyo, and the owner of some of the artwork and jewels hired me to protect the exhibit."

Hattori grinned as he finished placing his bag and sat down, Shinichi's question amusing even though he figured the bombings had overshadowed the other news.

"Protect it from who else? Kaito Kid has already put out a notice. In two days he's to try to steal the Elpis Jewel owned by the Corvintine family."

**End Chapter**

**A/N: **After experiencing writer's block for the longest time, my muse has finally hit me with new ideas, greatly altering where I was going to take this story. I never planned to bring Kaito Kid into the story, and had merely entertained the idea of bringing Hattori-kun into the fic -- now they both will make appearances.

Elpis = Greek word that can mean hope or expectation among other translations.

Crows in Greek myth used to be white, and there are varying degrees of albinism in crows that result in lighter shades in the eyes and feathers of crows. (I'm planning to make use of the differences of Crows and Ravens later on in this fic, mostly in the symbolism)


	13. The White Crow

**Murder Broods**

**Chapter 13: The White Crow**

Kaito Kuroba fiddled with his flash bombs, checking and rechecking them for functionality, his thoughts less on the mechanics of the useful gadgets and more on recent events.

The bombings reported in the News -- he'd first dismissed them as something for the police to investigate, nothing more than some terrorist plot. However, as the culprit targeted bigger places, especially those where large numbers of people usually gathered, he'd kept a keen eye on the News, his gut telling him not to ignore these incidents.

'_He readied his hang-glider-cape for flight, his current prize safe in his white suit while the police safely followed a false trail. The heavy clouds above obscured the moon and darkened everything by swallowing the starlight. Only the street lamps lining the roads down below served to illuminate the shadowy atmosphere._

_He heard the click of a gun behind him a split-second before he felt the bullet graze his shoulder -- he dodged the next shot by taking to the air. Maneuvering with his hang-glider to see as Snake readied another shot, he immediately swerved in the air, distributing his weight to the side. This second shot struck his left upper arm, burning as though it tore a chunk from his flesh._

'_Damn.' He ignored the pain and focused on staying airborne, glancing back only once more; his face paled as he noticed another shooter targeting him with a sniper rifle -- the wind current barring a quick escape and the sniper's forefinger a split-second from fully pressing the trigger._

_His heart jumped in his chest as he swerved again to dodge, the silent night air broken by the rifle blast aimed at his head. He still didn't know who fired the second shot simultaneous with the sniper's. All he knew was two shots were fired, the unknown one hitting the first in midair, causing a ricochet that scattered both safely away from him._

_Deciding not to tempt fate any longer, he hurried away, waiting until he was out of range of the sniper rifle before landing.'_

"I wonder who helped my escape that night…and why…." Kaito glanced at his window and then the table he'd placed his flash-bombs on; beside his Kid attire and tools lay a single sheet of paper with black type -- the letter that had prompted the Kid notice he'd sent out yesterday. He picked it up, his eyes searching once more for any clue to who sent it before rereading it.

_-Elpis Jewel, Corvintine family. To you who seeks the all-giving gem that burdens men's wit and courts disaster your desire shall find its breath.-_

Kaito kept his poker-face up as he read the words once more, his pulse quickening as he locked on the phase 'the all giving gem.' The first time he read it his heart had jumped, the idea gnawing in his thoughts until he researched to be sure.

His hunch was right. Pandora in Greek meant 'bearer of all' or 'all-giving'-- and connected with gem or rather the synonym _jewel_….

"But why did someone send this, who would…." He leaned forward and shook his head, the next moment standing after briefly glancing at the open window. A light breeze fluttered the curtain as he watched it, his eyes widening slightly the next moment as something winged and white landed on the sill.

Its feathers were as white as his doves, but its beak and head bore the unmistakable features of a crow -- the menacing look of an intelligent predator. He half smiled as he approached the corvine, his poker-face intact as he noticed the band attached to its leg.

"You're back again, have another message for me?" Kaito held his hand out slightly intrigued by how trained and tamed the crow was as it flew to him. Its clawed feet barely dug into his skin when it perched on his wrist, the band on its leg peeling almost indiscernibly.

Kaito picked at the peeled edge and stripped the thin paper from the metal. The band around the crow's leg now had a metallic glint, and the crow left his arm to fly away through the window. He waited until the crow vanished behind the neighboring buildings and then shut the window, the strip of paper held tightly in his palm.

_'I wonder if this person is friend or foe. And how does he know I seek the Pandora Jewel?' _Kaito glanced over the writing on the strip, the content unsurprising even though he'd never expected to be warned.

_--They'll be there. Tread wisely. --_

"No need to ask who 'they' are. Snake and his group. " Kaito read over the rest, this one signed in response to a question he'd written back about the sender's identity. The signature read -- the Second Shot, S.S. "It's you then, from my last heist."

0

Bright auburn hair fell over blue eyes, the wavy strands covered both ears until a fair manicured hand pulled one side's strands behind an ear. Julia Corvintine gave an appraising look at the young detective in front of her, her eyes roamed over his dark hair and tan face before she smiled.

"Who are your friends, Hattori-kun?" She nodded behind him at Ran and Kogoro, prompting the teen detective to introduce them.

"This is Ran Mouri-san and her father the detective Kogoro Mouri-san."

"_The _Detective Mouri-san? The one rumored to have death follow him wherever he goes?" Julia paled but held out her hand which Kogoro shook while mumbling something about not liking that part of the rumors circulating about him. "Oh, it's not wholly a bad thing coming across all those murders. Why, if you had the luck to come across every murder right after it's committed and solve it no one would think about murdering ever again. Wouldn't that be a blessing?"

"Haha, you have a point there. " Kogoro replied, becoming his usual goofy self while flirting with the gorgeous woman. He failed to notice Ran give him an evil look or Hattori sighing.

The Osaka detective asked briefly about the Elpis Jewel, to which Julia replied by motioning to its case on the exhibit floor. She paid little attention to Hattori as she laughed with Kogoro, flirting with the famous detective.

_'Geez, looks like I'm out of the picture now that detective Mouri is here. Not that he'd be much help without Kudo around.' _Hattori glanced around the floor before deciding to check the target of Kid's noticed first and then the entrances and exits. _'Kudo....'_

_- "Hattori, I need you to investigate Kid's heist without me, and....keep an eye on Ran and her father."_

_"Kudo, is something wrong? Are you in trouble?"_

_"There's....someone with connections to _them_ who knows my identity. I need to lay low while I investigate....I might not be able to return to Ran even after I revert back to Conan. "_

_"Kudo...." --_

Hattori pulled his focus back on the current investigation, studying the characteristics of the Elpis Jewel and the layout of the exhibit; he noted the adequate number of officers preparing for Kid -- while a large number it wasn't as large as usual. The recent episodes of bombings outweighed the Kaito Kid's latest notice since the thief was nonviolent, while the bomber could turn deadly.

'_I should be helping Kudo right now….' _Hattori turned onto a corridor that led to a back exit, hands in his pockets as he passed a tall man admiring the paintings of the exhibit.

The man was dressed in a black suit and had neck length platinum blond hair, his dark grey, almost black eyes focused on the painting in front of him. None of which made him more suspicious than the other visitors of the exhibit, but there was something about his smile as he looked at the painting that triggered Hattori's suspicions.

'_What's so interesting 'bout that painting?' _Hattori glanced at the painting after he finished checking the exit and turned back down the hall. The painting showed a young woman holding an overlarge clay jar amid a thicket as the full moon shined overhead. The teen detective quickly read the exhibit label beneath the painting and frowned. _'It's not even made by a famous artist, but by a member of the exhibitor's family.'_

Reminding himself of his reason for attending the exhibit, Hattori continued past the man and stared forward down the corridor, noticing Julia as she approached him. He parted his lips to ask a question when the woman's eyes locked on something behind him, her face livid. The next moment Hattori heard the man approach, the footsteps heavy on the waxed floor.

"Julia, dear, I've been looking forward to seeing you." The man purred and reached for the woman's hand to kiss it, instead receiving a slap as Julia screamed at him.

"What are you doing here?! I demand you to leave, go at once!" Julia's voice drew some of the close-by officers into the hall while the man backtracked.

"Julia-sweet, I merely came to see what you've done with my paintings, if you have no need of them…."

"As you can see they're part of the exhibit." Julia gestured to the paintings lining the corridor's walls, which Hattori now noticed all bore the same artist name. "Satisfied?"

'_Guess that's why he was focused on that painting, it was one of his.' _Hattori sidestepped out of the man's way as he hastened to the main hall, leaving Julia fuming among the paintings. _'And if what's just happened is any indication, that man and Julia-san probably….'_

"That man, thinking he can just show up after 20 years and just…." Julia clenched a fist, before relaxing and tossing back her head, making her hair bounce. She gave a snooty laugh before turning her back on the paintings in the corridor and stormed past Hattori into the main hall.

_'....yep, must be her ex....I'll just hope there's no plot for revenge brewing, the last thing I need is someone to wind up murdered. '_

0

The sounds surrounding her blurred in Hakami's ears as she stared up at the skyscraper, the completely computerized structure mentioned in that blog entry a few days before. Her silver hair spiked, black liner applied heavily under her eyes, she smirked and entered the building. Her hacking skill allowed her to bypass the security, overriding the Authorized Personnel Only warning on the entrance keypad. The white trench coat she wore swayed behind her as she entered, her footsteps sure and deliberate on the checkered floor.

"Main control room….um…." She read the floor directory posted between the elevators and stairs, her lips twitching as her green eyes alighted on what she sought. Quietly she bypassed the elevators, the stairs becoming her path towards the destination. "Three days to go, then Death will embrace its final victims."

The darken corridor deepened the effect of her black makeup, and dimmed the green hue of her eyes, her trench coat and the off-white pants beneath appearing grey as she continued on. Before she reached the control room door her modified-phone vibrated in her pocket; she took out the contraption and paused to glance at the display screen.

Her lips moved silently as she read the email message topic and the name of the sender; her thumb quivered over the open key, a half-centimeter above before she pocketed the device.

"No, I can't stop now…not even for him who saved me three years ago." Her right hand twitched before she bit her inner cheek and continued to the control room, her expression obscured by shadow as she opened the door.

0

The brilliant lights overhead lent their warm glow to the room, their glint reflected on the glass cases housing a variety of jewels. Julia glanced behind her as she loitered, gazing disinterestedly at the displays. Her auburn hair pulled into a quick half-bun that left a few choice strands lying seductively against her cheek.

"What do you mean by doing this? Julia!" The man from earlier approached, his arm outstretched to grab her shoulder before he let it fall to his side. He glanced at the display case before he moved his hand into his pocket, his face darkened by his hair.

"Shinji, don't tell me you haven't made plans of your own." Julia trailed a finger over one of the display cases, lips curved and eyes focused on the man beside her. "You didn't show up here just to look at your paintings. I know you better than that Shinji."

"And I know you, Julia. This is madness....what do you hope to gain by revealing to them...." Shinji paused when Julia placed her forefinger over his lips, the touch familiar and nostalgic. His gray-black eyes softened, Julia's blue ones gazing into his glistened under the florescent lights. He sighed as he watched those blue eyes harden, and the doll-lips narrow to near invisibility. "Julia...."

"Don't you want to avenge her death? Shinji, if you cared about our daughter at all you won't stop me."

"I never said I would. I set you free when I signed the divorce papers, if anything goes wrong I can't protect you." Shinji turned away, barely taking five steps from the woman before she grabbed his sleeve.

"There's just one thing, was your family name really Shirogawa?"

"Does it matter? It changed to Corvintine when I married you, like your family wanted. And I'll always think of myself as the white crow who escaped Apollo's anger." Shinji freed his sleeve and continued walking while Julia stared perplexed behind him.

**A/N: Please review….**

**Anyway, my muse really is taking this fic in a different direction than I'd originally planned though some things will remain the same as I planned or at least only be slightly changed. (That makes it difficult since I have to reread my earlier chapters to make sure I don't make incompatible changes between past and future chapters)**

**I hope I wrote the scene with Kaito Kuroba all right, I've only read some of the manga and the only times I've watched Kid in an anime were when he made appearances in Detective Conan. Writing the next few chapters will probably be difficult since I have to read up more on Kaito through the manga and not just Wikipedia, something that might be time consuming depending on my muse and motivation.**


	14. Shadow Drawn

**Murder Broods**

**Chapter 14: Shadow Drawn**

Hattori glanced around at the security surrounding the Elpis Jewel, the well-placed cameras and alarms reinforced by the division officers employed to capture the Kid. He chuckled half-attentively as he overheard Inspector Nakamori and Kogoro Mouri debating the meaning of Kid's notice -- something that quickly turned into an argument. Hattori sighed, deciding to walk around once more to fully memorize the layout of the exhibit and points of entry.

Kaito Kid would make his move tomorrow. Or more specifically according to his notice, at midnight tomorrow. Hattori sighed again as he stepped down the corridor hung with Shinji's paintings, the one from earlier catching his eye. He half-attentively read the title of the work, the rest of his attention on the cell-phone in his pocket and the conversation he'd had with Shinichi.

'_I can't seem to focus on this case…Kudo is in danger, those men in black could be hunting him down…and here I am preparing to stop a nonviolent thief.'_

"Have you had any luck figuring out Kid's notice?" Someone stepped behind him and spoke, startling him from his thoughts. He glanced over his shoulder, eyes narrowed slightly at the man with short, light colored hair "That's an interesting painting there, 'Moonlit Pithos.' Um…."

"Who are you? And how do you know I'm here for Kid's heist?" Hattori turned to face the man, observing his appearance. Light-colored hair and dark, square-frame glasses greeted the high school detective as the man shifted his attention from the painting to Hattori.

0

"Impossible." Gin glared out the window at the window at the Syndicate vehicles parked in the garage, cell phone to his ear as he sought out the parking space reserved at the far end. Its vacancy still screamed at him, his right fist tightened until the stitched cut throbbed -- his Porsche remained unrecoverable in the FBI's hands since the detonation days earlier.

The voice burned in his eardrums as he listened to Snake's excuses, the frustration that threatened to burst out every moment leaked into his reply rising onto his lips.

"Failure is not an option at this point, Snake. Find the Pandora, kill that thief, is it that difficult to follow orders? 'That person' even allowed use of our main faction's snipers during that thief's last heist -- you still lost him." Gin's jaw clenched, hardened eyes glinted as he listened; virulence spilling into his next words. "You expect me to believe that?! No one on that thief's side could be that good a sniper to….Snake, you're high ranked in the side faction, but if you fail again your position will be up for the Main faction to decide. And 'that person' shows no semblance of mercy." The blond roughly pressed the end button and glared at the empty parking space before storming onto the center corridor.

The hair covering his eyes allowed him to see the orders sent to his cell phone earlier clearly in the shadows they cast. Orders for him to stay put at headquarters while other Syndicate agents dealt with Absinthe, orders that allowed him only to participate through phone calls -- and then only with the faction he controlled.

The faction he had headed before merging it with the Syndicate.

"To question my loyalty now, of all times…." Gin growled -- the accusation had been there even if not expressed in words, and the blood in his veins scorched at how easily his achievements had been dismissed -- hadn't he obeyed every order, even the bitter ones without flinching? Without the pangs of conscience, of weakness that marked traitors? That now his loyalty was being questioned for a mistake made after he first joined the Syndicate tore his ambition, the carefully constructed threads unraveling. "Snake has to…."

He halted, the snarl etched ghostly over his lips, as Chianti entered the corridor and his sight. The woman sniper's tattooed left eye locked on him and widened as he approached -- Gin could only half relish the idea of what expression on his face created such fear.

"Gin…that night…."

"Don't screw up again, Chianti." His low but harsh voice filled the silence as he passed her, the blood that pumped through him telling him he needed to calm down before he did something to regret.

"Snake told you right? If that unknown shooter hadn't interfered…." Chianti felt the bile bubbling in her stomach from her bruised pride, the wound of missing her target raw and fresh. "That shooter deflected my shot with his own, the devil's skill ricocheting bullet with bullet…."

Gin's insides froze, his veins seemed doused in ice water as Chianti's words clicked on a long dormant memory.

_His sharp eyes glared at the man in front of him, at the dribbles of blood running from the temples and lips; the Beretta aimed between the man's eyes. The black suit covered by a gray trench coat revealed no mark of their scuffle -- neither did the defeated man's lips. The ingratiating smirk drew angry more than the cold blackness of those eyes gleaming up at him. Stone eyes that disregarded the Beretta a hair's breadth away from skin._

"_Seems you win. Youth eventually always does." The man grinned and leaned against the wall, his nonchalant manner at gunpoint impressive yet infuriating._

"_Now's not the time to look amused, your life and position…."_

"_Shall both be taken by family…as it always has been for five generations or so…taken by my nephew…." The man inclined his head towards Gin and laughed; the next moment his black eyes flashed dangerously and he lunged -- knocking the Beretta to the floor. His knee slammed against the younger's abdomen, the next kick sweeping the younger's legs from under him._

_Gin cursed and spat, the Beretta now pressed against his temple._

"_17 is too young to try to claim the throne of this family, nephew. Wait some years, unless you'd rather try some sneaky way like your younger brother." The man's smirk broke at the last syllable, his eyes alight with anger that smoldered out at the teen Gin's response._

"_I'm not, nor will I ever be, such a coward. I'll face you when I pull the trigger." _

"_As befits a Kurosawa. I look forward to seeing if you'd beat my record of achieving the head position of the family at age 24." The man removed the Beretta and pocketed it with a smirk. "When you do, you'll get this firearm of yours back. But only if you beat my record." _

"_Bastard…."_

The shrill beeping of his cell's ring-tone cut through his recollection, he drew it from his pocket even as he noted Chianti had left while he'd thought.

0

"What? Nothing could be traced? But…." Jodie grumbled and listened until the caller was done, then she hung up. She glanced at the room door behind which the girl-scientist continued working at the computer; her eyes strayed to the window as her ears registered the sound of the door opening and closing.

"Any new information?" Shinichi asked, knowing the answer from Jodie's expression the second she turned around.

"Nothing more about Kir and that bombing, but we had managed to get a hold of Gin's Porsche after the explosion two days ago, but the only thing we could find out is that it was registered in the States about fifty years ago. The original owner long since dead."

"Gin's Porsche…? But hadn't that explosion completely wrecked it?" Shinichi felt his heart pound with fevered anticipation as the unexpected words reached his ears. His detective passion flared as he digested those words and the ones Jodie said next.

"The Porsche itself was wrecked beyond salvaging, but the ignition key wasn't…and that held a secret I doubt anyone but the original owner knew. Within the plastic part was a metal engraved with a sequence that included the registration number and the word Pandora."

"Pandora?" Shinichi repeated, recalling how Haibara referred to the boss's email as Pandora's Box and shook his head; the familiarity of the word didn't fade and instead pulsed strangely at the forefront of his thoughts. '_I've come across that word very recently, but….' _

"The name it's registered under is S.J Corvintine, an art collector and archeologist who died 43 years ago." Jodie continued, reading her notes from the phone conversation, her eyebrows furrowed in thought before she heard Shinichi gasp.

"Corvintine? Of course! That's where…." Shinichi dug into his pocket for his cell-phone, his body shaking from excitement as he opened up the email he'd received from Hattori during their last conversation. The email containing Kaito Kid's latest notice:

_**--As Pandora delivered Zeus's Will basked under the Moonlight, I'll deliver Elpis from its Manmade Tomb in two days at the hour of Death and Birth. --**_

'_This is it, if there's a connection….' _All the color suddenly drained from Shinichi's face, his exhilaration changing to fear as swiftly as a storm. Ran and her father would be at the heist…if there was some connection, if the Corvintine family did have something to do with the Syndicate….

"Shit."

_A/N: I've decided to add so much more than I'd originally planned to this fanfic that it seems I should update the summary soon._


End file.
